Unnakaaya is a sweet dish of Malabar Origin. Unnakaaya dish is an authentic dish named after a cotton seed and thus sweet is acquired the shape. For the cotton-like thing inside the seed, grated fresh coconut is stuffed inside the mashed bananas and deep fried or shallow fried. In this sweet, sugar is added in a very small quantity as coconut and bananas accumulate the natural sweetness in this delicacy. Though any form of cooking ripe bananas can be considered to prepared Unnakaaya, a special type of bananas are used, which is called Nenthrapazham in Malayalam and available plenty in those regions.
Ingredients:
1. Banana (Nenthrapazham called in Malayalam) - 2 no,
2. Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 cup
3. Sugar - 2 to 3 tbsp.
4. Cardamom - 3 pods
5. Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 to 3 tbsp.
Cooking Method:
1. First steam the bananas along with the outer cover in the pressure cooker. Peel the outer layer and mash it soft like a dough with a masher. Alternatively, the steamed bananas can be blended in the bender to get the even texture like a dough without adding any water.
2. In a pan, mix the grated coconut, sugar and powder the cardamom and saute it for about 2 to 3 minutes. Fo not keep on flame for longer time as the coconut might change its colour.
3. Apply some ghee onto your palms, pinch some dough flatten it with your palm, place the coconut filling in it and seal it from all sides. Work on the remaining mashed bananas and coconut similarly.
4.These Unnakaaya are then shallow fried in a flat pan from all sides. Alternatively, the Unnakaaya's can be deep fried too.
