Unda Payasam
It's a traditional Kerala-style dessert crafted from rice flour, coconut, and banana. The timeless combination of rice flour and coconut never fails to enchant, and the addition of banana introduces a unique flavor to this dish. Additionally, it can be regarded as a wholesome and healthy dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 small – medium Ripe Plantain (Kerala Ethakka) (quartered)
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1/2 cup Rice flour (heaped (refer notes))
- 1/2 cup Grated Coconut (heaped)
- 1/2 cup Boiling water
- Salt
- 2.5 cups Water
- 4-5 tbsp Sugar
- 1 Cardamom (crushed)
- 1/4 cup thick coconut milk
Instructions
- Melt 1 tbsp ghee in a small frying pan. Add quartered banana and sugar (.5 – 1 tbsp). Fry till the banana becomes golden brown in colour. Keep it aside.
- Combine flour, coconut and salt in a deep and wide mixing bowl. Add boiling water gradually to make a soft and smooth dough. Reserve 1-2 tbsp of dough and make tiny dumplings from the rest of the dough. You can make bigger ones too, but keep in mind the dumplings tend to expand while cooking. Cover this with a wet cloth to prevent it from drying out.
- Add 1/4 – ½ cup hot water to the kept aside dough and make a thick paste.
- Boil 2.5 cups of water in a medium size saucepan. Add dumplings to it and bring it to boil. Reduce the flame to lowest and cook for 6-8 mins. Add 4 tbsp sugar and mix gently. Continue to cook for 5 more mins and add the dough paste. Mix well. Once it begins to thick, add coconut milk and stir well. Add fried banana and crushed cardamom and mix well. Remove from fire after 4-5 mins.
Notes
- Banana is cooked along with the dumplings in the original recipe. It imparts a strong banana flavour to the dish. You can follow that method, if you prefer a stronger banana flavour. If you don’t prefer the banana taste at all, you can skip it and just make rice dumplings.
- Also, in the original recipe, coconut milk is not used. I used it to make it creamier and also for the flavour. You can add hot water instead of coconut milk.
- The qty of sugar can be adjusted to suit your requirements. Start with 1-2 tbsp of sugar and add more, if required.
- The dish tends to thicken a lot as it rests. You can add some hot water and reheat it to adjust the consistency.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcalCarbohydrates: 84gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 262mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 3gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 1mg
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