Neyyappam Recipe

Neyyappam - Homemade Treats

 Neyyappam is a beloved traditional sweet snack from Kerala, especially popular in Trivandrum and central Kerala. The name comes from two words: “neyy” meaning ghee, and “appam” meaning cake or fritter. It is typically made during festivals, temple offerings, or just as an evening snack.

It’s soft on the inside, with slightly crispy edges, and richly flavored with jaggery, coconut, and cardamom. Trivandrum-style neyyappam usually uses rice flour or soaked raw rice ground fresh, along with a generous touch of banana for softness and extra flavor.

This snack can be confused by unniappam in color and similar shape. However, they both are different and preparation also varies. Btw, I recently bough neyyappam from Supreme near Pongamudu and it was really tasted like homemade ones.

Neyyappam (Trivandrum Style) – Traditional Recipe

Ingredients:

• Raw rice – 1 cup (soaked for 3–4 hours)
• Jaggery – ¾ to 1 cup (adjust to taste)
• Ripe banana – 1 small (optional but adds softness)
• Grated coconut – 2–3 tbsp (or small coconut pieces fried in ghee)
• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
• Ghee – for frying (can mix with a little coconut oil if preferred)
• A pinch of salt
• Water – as needed

👩‍🍳 How to Prepare:

1. Soak and Grind Rice
2. Soak raw rice for about 3–4 hours.
3. Drain and grind it into a smooth batter using minimal water. It should be slightly thick, like idli batter.
4. Melt the Jaggery
5. Melt jaggery in a little water. Strain to remove impurities.
6. Add this to the rice batter and mix well.
7. Add Other Ingredients
8. Mash the banana and mix into the batter (optional but traditional in many Trivandrum homes).
9. Add grated coconut or small coconut bits fried in ghee.
10. Add cardamom powder and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well.
11. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
12. Fry in oil ( veg oil)
13. Heat ghee in a traditional unniyappam chatti (appam pan with round cavities).
14. Pour batter into each cavity. Fry on medium flame until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side.
15. Remove when evenly cooked and puffed.

🌟 Tips:

• Consistency: The batter should be thick but pourable.
• Palayam kodan Small Banana adds softness and a subtle flavor – Nendran banana is usually preferred.

✨ Serve warm as an evening snack with tea,