Kerala Unniyappam (Karolappam)

Ingredients

• Raw rice or idli rice - 2 cup
• Jaggery (sharkkara) - 250 g
• Small banana (Mysore pazham) - 3 whole
• Coconut pieces (thengakothu) - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom pods - 8 whole
• Salt - 1 pinch
• Ghee or coconut oil - 1/2 l

Instructions

1. 1Soak the rice for 4 hours, then drain and grind it into a coarse paste; aim for a texture with some bite rather than a completely smooth batter.
2. 2Melt the jaggery with enough water to make a syrup, strain it to remove any impurities, and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
3. 3While the syrup cools, dry-roast the coconut pieces in a little ghee until they turn light brown and fragrant, then set them aside to cool.
4. 4Blend the bananas into a smooth paste and keep it ready for the batter.
5. 5Combine the rice paste, cooled jaggery syrup, banana paste and salt in a large bowl and mix well until you have a thick batter; it should be spoonable and hold its shape.
6. 6Grind the cardamom pods to a fine powder, fold the roasted coconut pieces and the cardamom powder into the batter, cover the bowl and keep it aside for 8 hours to rest.
7. 7Heat the unniyappam pan (kaarol) over medium heat and add a little ghee or coconut oil to each mould; when the pan is hot, pour exactly 1 tbsp of batter into each mould.
8. 8Reduce the flame to low and let the fritters cook on the first side until you see a golden color at the edges, then turn them over and fry the second side until they are golden brown all over.
9. 9Remove the unniyappam from the pan and drain them on paper towels for a minute to remove excess oil before serving.
10. 10Optional serving suggestion: serve warm, optionally with a little extra ghee or a cup of spiced tea for a perfect snack.