UNNIYAPPAMS WITH A TWIST

Onam is every Malayali’s favourite time of the year. The sadhya alone brings back fond memories but it’s not just about that one meal. Onam is a time when my family, scattered across the world, make the trip back to Kerala to spend time together. And we make the most of it. After a heavy sadhya, tea time is usually late, but we never skip it. And with that refreshing tea, we always make unniyappams. They’re soft, airy and taste heavenly.

Today I’m doing something blasphemous. I’m tweaking a traditional recipe! You’ll still get the familiar taste of unniyappams, just with a little surprise. In order to make them slightly healthier, I wanted to decrease the amount of ghee and sugar in the recipe. However, that posed a bit of a problem. Without enough sugar, the appams were not sweet enough and without enough ghee, the top half of the unniyappam wouldn’t brown properly. Read on for the brilliant solution to both my problems.

Equipment

You can’t make unniyappams without an appam pan of course! Wonderchef’s Non-Stick Appa Kara pan helps make these sweet appams healthier thanks to its 5-ply non-stick coating. Traditionally appam makers are made of cast iron and without a lot of oil or ghee, your appams will stick to the pan. With a non-stick appam tawa, you can add a light brushing of oil or ghee without worrying about flipping it. Each mould is perfectly round and deep enough to make appams and paniyarams of the right size.

This banana appam batter comes together in my trusty Wonderchef Sumo Silverado Mixer-Grinder. Its unique cuboid design provides stability helping me to perform all kitchen tasks without annoying shakes and vibrations. Be it idli batter, garam masala or smoothies, you won’t find me glued to the machine with one hand forcing the lid down because the Sumo mixer’s stainless steel blades can tackle the toughest of ingredients with ease. The jars are ergonomically designed and perfectly airtight as well. The special coarse grinding blade even mimics the traditional stone grinding effect so I can make my grandmother’s heritage recipes for sambhar masala and podi just like she would.

Healthier and Tastier Banana appams 

How did we combat the oil and sugar issue? With a creative topping! The banana slice on top is going to make everyone take notice. It also adds to the sweetness of the appams and since we’re being stingy with the sugar, this is a great thing. However once I started experimenting, I couldn’t stop myself. Apart from the staple mix-ins like cashews, coconut and raisins, I also tried pineapples and my personal favourite – chocolate! It’s a fun surprise that kids are sure to love.

I hope you try these delicious and slightly healthier unniyappams out this Onam! Be sure to check out our other special Onam recipe – Parippu Payasam! (LINK RECIPE)

Makes: 24 Unniyappams

Active Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 cup Rice (Any Short Grain Rice) 

2 Ripe Bananas

½ cup Jaggery + More if required

6 Cardamom pods

¼ Water + more if needed

¼ tsp Black Sesame

¼ tsp Baking Soda (heaped)

3 Tbsp coconut pieces

3-4 tbsp Ghee

1 banana – medium ripeness

Method 

1. Soak the rice overnight.
2. Add soaked rice, ripe bananas, jaggery, cardamom seeds and to Wonderchef Sumo Mixer Jar and blend.
3. Add water and blend again until combined. Mix should be slightly grainy.
4. Transfer the batter to a bowl and add the sesame, baking soda and coconut pieces and mix well. Set aside.
5. Slice the firm banana and set aside.
6. Heat Wonderchef Appa Kara on low and brush the moulds with ghee.
7. Add batter till ¾ full and top with a slice of banana. Cover immediately and cook for 2 min.
8. Open the lid, brush the top with ghee and flip. Cook for another minute or until bananas are caramelised. Repeat until you finish the batter
9. Serve immediately and enjoy!