Unniyappam, Kerala banana jaggery rice fritters

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked rice, or 1 cup of rice flour
• 1 ripe and sweet banana (preferably of the Nendran variety)
• Three-quarters of a cup of crushed jaggery
• ½ cup of shredded coconut
• 3 cardamom pods, ground
• A pinch of salt
• water, as needed
• butter or oil, for frying

Thoroughly wash the rice, soak it for 3 to 4 hours, drain it, and then blend it into a flour. Alternatively, you can use rice flour directly.

Melt the jaggery in a small amount of water, then filter the resulting syrup to remove any impurities.

Mash the banana into a puree.

Add the rice flour, jaggery syrup, and mashed banana to the mixture.

Add the coconut, cardamom, and salt, and mix well. Gradually add water until you have a thick paste.

Let the dough rest for 3 to 4 hours, until it has slightly risen.

Heat ghee or oil in the wells of a non-stick pan to make uniyappam. Pour a spoonful of batter into each well and fry, turning the doughnuts as they cook, until they are puffed up and golden brown on all sides.