Neyyappam

Neyyappam is one of those snacks that speaks in a quiet voice. Not flashy, not festive – but familiar. The kind of snack you find in a tea stall behind a misty glass shelf, or on a banana leaf at home, still warm, waiting beside a glass of tea.

It begins the night before. Raw white rice – pachari – is washed and soaked overnight. In the morning, it’s ground to a smooth batter, then mixed with melted jaggery, mashed ripe banana, thin strips of fresh coconut, a pinch of cardamom powder, and black sesame seeds. The ingredients come together easily – just stirred with care.

Some use rice flour instead of soaked rice. If so, it must be unroasted – and sieved well, to remove coarse bits. The batter should be smooth and slightly thick, not gritty. That’s what gives Neyyappam its soft, even crumb inside.

Then, you wait. The batter rests for at least two hours. This step matters. The sweetness settles. The texture deepens. Everything begins to belong together.

When the oil is hot – with a spoon of ghee added – the batter is poured gently. It spreads, puffs, and crisps at the edges. The smell of jaggery and coconut fills the kitchen, thick and warm.

Each Neyyappam turns deep golden brown, with the edges crisp, the centre tender, and bits of coconut just barely toasted. The first bite is soft. Then the flavour unfolds – jaggery, banana, cardamom – everything in balance.

It’s not festival food. It’s home food. Something made when the day allows, when the mood is right, and when someone says, “It’s been a while.”

Neyyappam doesn’t need to impress. It just needs to be made with care – soaked rice, or good flour, a patient hand, and the kind of silence that usually fills a kitchen right before the oil starts to bubble.

Print Recipe

0 Add to Favorites

Sadya

Neyyappam

Author: Ushadevi Cooking Method: Frying Cuisine: Kerala Courses: Snacks, Sweets & Desserts

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 3 hrs Cook Time 20 mins Total Time 3 hrs 20 mins

Cooking Temp: 180  C

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 2 cups Raw White Rice (Pachari)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup Jaggery
• 1 tablespoon Banana- mashed
• 1 teaspoon Cardamom+ Sugar powder
• ¹⁄₄ cup Coconut Strips
• 2 teaspoon Black sesame seeds
• 3 teaspoon Ghee
• Oil for deep fry

Instructions

1. Neyyappam is a sweet rice-based fritter fried in ghee. Its origin is in Kerala. It’s a much popular teatime snack too.
2. First of all, we need rice flour, which should be nonfried. Usually, rice flour available in the market are already fried
3. next, soak 2 cups White raw rice (Pachari) for about 2-3 hours. Drain water and we will grind it to a nice flour
4. Sieve it for bigger particles and keep them aside.
5. Next, we will melt jaggery. One and a half cup jaggery needed. Melt it with a tablespoon of water
6. We will strain it for impurities and keep it aside
7. Next, we will mix Rice flour and jaggery syrup
8. Add enough water and we will make a smooth batter.
9. We will add a tablespoon mashed banana and a teaspoon Cardamom-sugar mixture to the batter
10. The banana will help to make the Neyyappam soft inside
11. We need to keep it closed for two hours.
12. Next, we need fried Coconut strips and Sesame seeds. Heat 2-3 teaspoon Ghee and add 1/4 cup Coconut strips
13. Fry it till it gets light brown color. Roast Black sesame seeds in the same ghee and keep it aside
14. Finally, just before making the Neyyappam, we will mix Coconut strips and Sesame seeds into the batter.
15. Traditionally Neyyappam is fried in pure ghee. That’s why it got the name Neyyappam. In the local language, Neyy means Ghee
16. Here we are using Coconut oil. Keep the flame at a medium level
17. Pour a ladle of batter into the hot oil. Let’s wait for some time. It will come to the top of the oil
18. Fry both sides till it becomes brown in color with a crispy crust.
19. That’s all. Neyyappam is ready. Remove it from Oil.
20. Keep it in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Enjoy with warm tea