Unnakaya (Mahe and Malabar)
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Ripe plantain mashed and stuffed with sweetened egg or coconut, shaped like a pod and fried, a snack of Mahe and Malabar.
Region: Mahe (Puducherry) and the Malabar coastOccasion: Tea-time snack; Ramzan iftar and weddingsTime: 45 minServes: 4Eggetarian
Ingredients
- 3 ripe nendran plantains
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cashews and raisins
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp ghee
- Oil for deep-frying
Method
- Steam the plantains in their skins until soft. Peel, remove the seeds in the centre and mash smoothly.
- Heat the ghee, fry the cashews and raisins, then scramble the eggs with the coconut, sugar and cardamom into a dry filling. (For a vegetarian version, use only coconut, sugar and nuts.)
- Grease your palm, flatten a ball of plantain, place a spoonful of filling in the centre and close it into a spindle shape.
- Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown.
- Serve warm with tea.
History
Unnakaya belongs to the Malabar kitchen. Mahe, a small enclave on the Malabar coast that was French until 1954, shares this food with neighbouring Kerala.
Significance
It is a favourite at iftar during Ramzan, at weddings and at tea-time in Mahe homes.