Undampori

There’s a certain rhythm to evening tea in Kerala. A glass tumbler clinks, steam rises, and next to it-almost always-you’ll find a deep brown snack, round and slightly cracked like it’s hiding something sweet inside. That’s Undampori. Not flashy, not delicate, but full of quiet power-like a cannonball with a heart of banana and jaggery.

Undampori feels like the older cousin of unniyappam. Bigger, heavier, rougher on the outside-but just as soft within. It’s made with wheat flour, sweetened with jaggery, and softened with ripe banana. Nothing is wasted in a Kerala kitchen, and that overripe banana on the table? It’s your shortcut to making the perfect undampori dough. Just mash it, stir in the jaggery syrup, a pinch of cardamom, and enough flour to bring it all together.

Once shaped into thick ovals or balls, they’re dropped into hot oil. The outer skin darkens quickly, almost like a fried crust of molasses, while the inside stays cakey and warm. When you break one open, steam escapes and the smell of jaggery and banana hits you at once. That first bite-crispy at the edge, soft in the middle-is enough to understand why this snack has stood the test of time.

You’ll find undampori everywhere. Inside the glass-fronted wooden shelves of Kerala’s chayakadas, lined up beside pazham pori, sukhiyan, and uzhunnu vada. Some are almost black with caramelised jaggery, others a gentler brown, depending on who fried them and how long. But the taste is always familiar. Sweet, gently spiced, and deeply satisfying. One is often enough-but somehow, you always reach for another.

Undampori doesn’t change with the trends. It doesn’t get reinvented. It doesn’t need to. It sits beside your evening tea like it’s always been there-unmoving, unfussy, and absolutely perfect just the way it is.

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Undampori

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

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 2 hrs Cook Time 30 mins Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins

Cooking Temp: 180  C Servings: 7

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year, Rain

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 1 cup Wheat flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup Jaggery
• 2 Banana (Cherupazham)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoon Coconut strips
• 1 pinch Baking Soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Cardamom powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoon Ghee
• 1 pinch Salt
• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Undampori or Sweet Bonda is a popular Kerala tea-stall snack — sweet, crispy-on-the-outside balls made with wheat flour and jaggery.
2. First, melt jaggery with a little water. Strain it to remove any impurities and keep it nearby.
3. Heat ghee in a pan, add coconut strips, and fry until light brown. Set aside.
4. Slowly add wheat flour in small portions to the jaggery syrup and knead into a sticky dough.
5. Add baking soda, banana (mashed), cumin seeds, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well.
6. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 2 hours.
7. After resting, add the fried coconut strips to the dough and knead lightly.
8. Divide the dough into equal-sized portions.
9. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a pan.
10. Wet your hands, shape each portion into small balls, and gently drop them into the hot oil.
11. Cook on low flame to ensure the inside is cooked properly. If the flame is too high, the outside will brown too fast while the inside remains uncooked.
12. Fry until each ball turns golden brown and crispy on the outside.
13. Undampori is ready! Let it cool slightly and serve with hot tea.