Unnakkaya - A Malabar Ramadan Snack and My 150th post

With this post today,A Bowl Of Curry completes it's 150th post here.It was a journey with lots of interactions,friendships and   learning experience through valuable comments .I would love to thank each of my fellow foodies out there,for their valuable response and support !

It is Ramadan period, a holy month for Muslims all over the world.As all of you know it is the time when they fast and pray each day and break their fast in the evening. Each Iftar day they make delicious snacks, juices, and rice and much more.Each one differ in taste and preparation from one another.

Malabar cuisine is known for their rich,flavourful and exotic in all senses.Being from Malabar, i have tasted many for their recipes and have shared some of them like Chatti Pathiri,Kakkarotti , Pazham Nirachathu , Arikadukka . Today i am sharing one of the famous and a perfect snack from Thalassery, which will melt in your mouth from the first bite, "Unnakkaya". The name and shape of the snack represents elongated "Cotton Pods". When we think of preparation feel it is a long process, but i would say even a bachelor who loves cooking can give it a try. The steamed plantain is filled with mixture lightly sauted coconut , sugar, scrambled egg, elachi powder in ghee called "Pandam" and deep fried in oil. If you don't like or use eggs you can avoid eggs and make it pure vegetarian. Over to the recipe... 

Ingredients

1. Ripe plantains /Nenthrapazham - 5 
2. Grated coconut - 1 cup
3. Sugar - 3 Tbsp or as needed
4. Raisins -  2 Tbsp
5. Almonds /badam  roughly chopped - 4 Tbsp (You can also use cashew nuts)
6. Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp
7. Egg - 1
8. Salt - a tiny pinch
9. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
10. Oil - for deep frying

  Preparation

• Cut each of the bananas into half and also the stems at both the ends. Steam the bananas in a steamer until cooked soft. You can even microwave the bananas and cook. BUT DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM as later it becomes mushy and wont be able to roll it tight .
• After cooling it, peel off the skin and cut into half and remove the black seed thread.
• Now mash it using a wooden spoon or with your hand into a very smooth dough without any lumps. Keep aside.
• Beat egg with a teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder and salt. Keep aside.
• Heat a tsp oil in a nonstick pan and scramble egg. Keep aside.
• Now heat ghee, fry the raisins, let it puff up , remove from heat and keep aside.
• Add grated coconut and saute for 5 minutes till the moisture is absorbed.
• Add sugar, cardamom powder, raisins, scrambled egg and almonds. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.
• Grease your palm and take little banana mixture, about a lemon size and flatten it with your thumb, place a 2 tsp of the filling inside., seal the edges and roll into cylindrical shape with elongated edges. Shape the remaining the same way.
• Heat oil in a kadai/deep bottomed pan for deep frying. Deep fry each of them into golden . Fry both the sides.
• Drain on paper towel and serve them hot.

Check out the recipe for Pachamulaku Thengaa Chammanthi

Notes

• Do no overcook the bananas, it will become watery and will become difficult to hold.
• If you don't like or use eggs you can avoid eggs and make it pure vegetarian.

Check out for more Ramadan recipes