Unniyappam

Making the perfect unniyappam requires some attention to detail and a few tips and tricks to ensure they turn out deliciously soft, flavourful, and with the right texture. My grandmother always say the perfect appam should be “pottiyum moodiyuma irukkanam” meaning it should look like a box and the lid and appears like a ball. Here are some tips to help you make the best unniyappam.

Choose the Right Ingredients

• Rice Flour: Use fresh, fine-quality rice flour for a smooth batter. You can also make your own by soaking and grinding raw rice. You can also make it wet batter instead of making flour.
• Bananas: Ripe bananas are key to achieving the soft texture and natural sweetness. The more ripe they are, the better.
• Jaggery: Opt for good-quality, unadulterated jaggery for a rich, caramel-like sweetness. Melt the jaggery in a little water, strain it to remove impurities, and cool before adding.
• Coconut:  Chop the coconut into small pieces and fry it in coconut oil or ghee for an extra burst of flavour. You can also add freshly grated coconut to enhance the taste and texture. But I have not added the grated coconut.

Prepare the Batter Properly

• Mixing: Combine the rice flour, mashed bananas, jaggery syrup, and grated coconut to form a thick, smooth batter. Add a pinch of baking soda for a lighter texture, but use it sparingly to avoid bitterness. If making batter without making flour, add the soaked rice, jaggery syrup, cardamom and banana into  a mixie jar and grind it to a smooth batter.

• Resting: Allow the batter to rest for at least 2-3 hours, or even overnight. This fermentation helps in developing flavours and gives the unniyappam a soft and spongy texture.

Cooking Tips

• Right Temperature: Heat the appachatti (aebleskiver pan) on medium heat and add a little coconut oil and ghee in each well. The oil should be hot but not smoking. If the oil is too hot, the unniyappam will brown too quickly on the outside while remaining uncooked inside.
• Fill the Moulds: Fill each mould about three-quarters full to give the batter room to rise. Turn the unniyappam once the edges start to brown.
• Even Cooking: Cook on low to medium heat to ensure the inside cooks thoroughly while the outside turns a beautiful golden brown. Flip them using a skewer or a spoon to cook evenly on both sides.

Enhance the Flavour

• Cardamom: Add freshly ground cardamom powder for a fragrant aroma.
• Sesame Seeds: Adding a handful of roasted sesame seeds to the batter gives the unniyappam a pleasant crunch. I have not used in my recipe.
• Ghee: For a richer taste, you can fry the unniyappam in ghee instead of coconut oil, or simply add a spoonful of ghee to the batter.

Serving and Storage

• Serving: Serve unniyappam warm, as they taste best fresh and hot. They pair wonderfully with a cup of tea or coffee.
• Storage: Unniyappam can be stored in an airtight container for a few days. If they become hard, you can soften them by briefly microwaving or steaming.

By following these tips, you can make unniyappam that are perfectly soft, flavourful, and with a delightful crispness on the outside.