Air Fryer Unniyappam

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• ½ cup jaggery, melted in a little warm water
• 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder (optional)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
• A pinch of salt, oil spray

Steps

1. Mix the rice flour, mashed banana, melted jaggery, coconut, cardamom and salt into a thick, dropping-consistency batter - not runny. Rest for 20 minutes so the rice flour softens.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 160°C - jaggery burns fast under high heat, so this is deliberately lower than most air fryer recipes.
3. Spray an air-fryer-safe appam mould or silicone muffin cups generously with oil, then spoon the batter in, filling each two-thirds full.
4. Place the mould in the basket and air fry for 8 minutes.
5. Carefully flip each unniyappam with a skewer or fork (if using a shallow mould), and air fry a further 6-7 minutes (14-15 minutes total) until a skewer comes out clean and the outside is deep golden.
6. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from the mould - they firm up as they cool.

Tip: Keep the temperature at 160°C, not the usual 180-200°C - the jaggery in the batter caramelises and burns well before the centre is done at higher heat.

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Nutrition (per serving)

Estimated from standard ingredient data — actual values vary by brand and exact quantities used.

Serving & Storage