Kayada – a stuffed banana patty
Kayada or stuffed banana patty is one of the very delicious evening snacks in Kerala. Kayada is popularly known as Unnakaya in Malabar area with a slight variation in ingredients. The main ingredients used are ripen banana and coconut with sugar or jaggery. It is a very nutritious evening snack for the kids as well as the adults.
Ingredients:
- Ripen banana (not too ripen) – 5 medium size
Steam cook this banana, peel and mash well, with your hand or with the head of a wooden ladle, to form a smooth paste. If the banana is too ripen, the paste becomes too mushy. If so, add little rice flour along with it.
For the stuffing:
- Jaggery – 100 gms (can be replaced with 1/2 cup of sugar)
- Freshly scraped coconut – 1 cup
- Ghee – 2 tbsp
- Cashew nuts – 15, broken into small pieces
- Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
Method of Preparation:
- Melt ghee and Jaggery (sugar) in a saucepan over moderate heat
- Add coconut and cashew nut, stir well until everything blend well and mixture becomes dry
- Stir in cardamom powder and remove the pan from the stove
- Wet your palm with little ghee or oil, take a lemon size banana paste and flatten it on your palm
- Place a spoon full of coconut mixture on it and fold it well and make oval shaped patty
- Repeat the same process with the remaining mixture
Heat oil in a Kadai and fry, 2-3 patties at a time, till it is golden brown. Spread these fried patties on paper towels.
Your Kayada is ready and serve it warm with your evening tea.
Note:
- I used tawa fry instead oil fry.
- Egg is added along with coconut while preparing Unnakaya. It is one of the delicacies of Muslim community in Malabar.
