Malabar Unnakaya -Ramadan Special

Malabar Unnakaya 

   

    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: 

• Plantains – 4 large, ripe but firm
• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
• Cashew nuts – 1/4 cup, chopped
• Raisins – 2 tbsp
• Granulated sugar – 2 tbsp or as needed
• Cardamom powder – a big pinch
• Nutmeg powder – a pinch
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Oil for frying

PREPARATION:

1.Steam cook the plantains till soft, allow this to cool slightly.

2.Peel off the skin and run a knife through the center to remove the black seeds inside.

3.Mash this using a food processor or masher, without adding water and form a dough with no lumps.

4.To prepare the filling, heat ghee in a pan, fry the cashews and raisins till golden and plump.

5.Add the coconut, sugar, nutmeg and cardamom and toss till the sugar melts and the coconut turns slightly golden. Remove from heat and set it aside.

6.Grease your hands with oil and make lemon sized balls of the mashed plantain and flatten them using your fingertips.

7.Place some filling in the center and push it in lightly. 8.Then seal the edges by gently folding it into a semicircle and pressing the edges together and smoothing out any cracks.

9.Roll it into a cylindrical shape with pointed tips. Follow the same with the rest of the plantain.

10.Heat oil in a pan or deep kadai and deep fry or shallow fry the stuffed plantains until golden brown on all sides.

NOTES:

1.Do not use over ripe plantains, as it will be difficult to achieve the correct consistency of the dough.

2.So don’t puree the mixture into a smooth paste, as it won’t hold it’s shape. It just needs to be mashed without any lumps to form a smooth dough.

3.If it’s difficult to form the shape, add a few teaspoons of rice flour to the dough and knead well.

4.Alternatively, put the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour before making the balls.

5.Make sure all the edges are sealed thoroughly and there are no cracks before frying.

                                                                                                                                         EnjoyFood!