Unni Appam

Ingredients:

Pacharisi - 2 cups

Jaggery - 200 gms

Powder of 4 cardamom

Banana - 1 (Manja Vazhai Pazham is the best)

Coconut - 1/4 of a coconut

Water - 1/2 -1 cup

Oil for frying

Method:

Soak rice for an hour. Drain water and let it dry for 5 - 10 minutes. Mix the cardamom with the rice and grind it to a coarse powder (similar to that of puttu ). Now, add 1/2 glass of water to the jaggery and boil it till it becomes a thick syrup. Cut the bananas into pieces and grind it into a fine paste. Now, add the jaggery syrup to the rice along with banana paste after all the ingredients are cooled. Mix it well. Add enough water to the batter. It should have the consistency of the idli batter. Leave it for 3 - 4 hours for it ferment a little.

Heat oil in the appa chatti and pour the batter in each depression on the chatti when the oil is medium hot. Toss each of appam gently and see to that it is browned on all sides.

Since, banana is added to this, it has to be consumed within a day or two. This can be made without adding bananas, which can be kept for long.

Tips: Adding ghee while tossing the appam will enhance its taste greatly.