Unnakkaya - Banana rolls with sweet coconut filling

Unnakkaya recipe with detailed photos.

Unnakkaya is a very popular fried snack consisting of mashed plantain covering with a sweet veg or non-veg filling. It is very popular in Kerala, especially among Muslim community (a common snack during iftar). It can be prepared in two ways, either with coconut or with eggs.

I tried this recipe for the first time during my college days, inspired by the dooradarsan cookery show. Yes , I was only a beginner at that time and just started my cooking experiments with minimal ingredient dishes. When I saw this dish on TV,  excited.. wow..plantain filled with eggs, a new dish, ever  heard that name before. I tried, but Alah... it was a big flop. I got an oily dish and also I struggled to get the proper shape. Yes of course, I stopped my experiments with Unnakkaya.

A few years later, after marriage, during my visit to Kerala, I met this dish again in one of the famous bakeries at North Paravur. I bought one, tasted, wow... it was super delicious. One thing I want to say, filling was not sweetened egg, but was rice flakes and coconut. I decided to try it again, I searched my cookbooks and found the recipes and tried again. Sadly, this time also, I got oily fritters. It absorbed so much oil, I can't  even explain.

Later I understood the real faults and  corrected them and then made good unnakkayas. I feels, this is the correct time to present it before you, yeah.. it is here......

I have already said, unnakkaya is  banana rolls with a sweet filling, either with eggs or with coconut. Ethapazham or nendrapazham (a common type of banana) is used to make this. This nendrapazham should be moderate ripe. (should not be too soft). Take bananas, when they just ripened, you can see one in the above picture. otherwise, it will be difficult to shape and also the unnakkayas will absorb more oil and might break while frying.

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Unnakkaya Recipe | Malabar Unnakkaya Recipe | How To Make Malabar Style Unnakkaya At Home

Coconut filled banana fritters

Preparation time: 30 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

For outer covering

•  3 plantain /nendraphazham / ethapazham ( not fully ripe)

For filling

• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 3 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 10 cashews
• 10 raisins

• Oil for frying

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How to make Malabar style unnakkaya at home with step by step photos

1. Steam three to four bananas till became soft. As I already said, don't take well ripened bananas, the bananas should be soft enough to mash, but also should be hard enough to shape. 
   
2. Remove the skin.
   
3. Cut longitudinally into two halves and remove entire seeds with a spoon or a knife. 
   
4. Mash either with your hand or in a food processor, don't make a fine paste, should be hard enough to shape. the consistency should be like that of chapathi dough.
   
5. The next step is preparation of the filling. Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a pan.
   
6. When hot, reduce the flame to medium and add cashews. Saute till they turn golden in color. Add raisins, immediately transfer into another bowl when the raisins puffs up.
   
7. In the same ghee, add 3/4 cup grated coconut and mix well.
   
8. Add sugar. 2 teaspoon will be enough. Add more if required.
   
9.  Saute till the sugar melts completely and the coconut has slightly changed its color.
   
10. Add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder and ghee fried cashews and raisins. 
    
11. Mix well.
    
12. Immediately transfer into another plate.
    
13. Apply some oil or ghee on your hand and take a big small lemon sized ball of mashed banana.
    
14. Hold in left hand and gently flatten with your right hand into small disc shapes.
    
15. Spoon in 2 teaspoon coconut mixture.
    
16. Close the edges, press lightly and shape it with your hands into elongated oval shapes as in the picture.
    
17. Heat oil in a pan and fry on medium heat.
    
18. Flip when golden brown and fry the other sides also. 

My Notes on  Unnakkaya

• Choose bananas that are not fully ripe. The bananas should not be too soft or too hard.
• Do not add water while grinding the bananas.
• The filling can be made with eggs also.