Kuzhi Paniyaram
savoury batter dumplings with shallot and curry leaf, crisp outside and soft within
Start the day before. The fermenting alone is 8 hr, against 45 min of actual work.
Allergens in Kuzhi Paniyaram: sesame, mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 1.5 cups idli, soaked 4 hours Rice
- 1/2 cup, soaked 4 hours Urad Dal
- 1/2 tsp, soaked with the dal Fenugreek Seeds
- 10 small, finely chopped Shallot
- 2, finely chopped Green Chilli
- 1 inch piece, finely chopped Ginger
- 2 sprigs, shredded Curry Leaves
- 2 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp Chana Dalfor crunch in the temperingoptional
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetidause compounded-free hing to keep this gluten-freeoptional
- 1/2 tsp, coarsely cracked Black Pepper
- 5 tbsp Sesame Oilgingelly oil, for the tempering and the pan
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 250ml, for grinding Water
Cookware
stovetop, tawa, blender
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the rice separately from the urad dal and fenugreek, both for 4 hours.
- The batter needs to ferment 8-10 hours in a warm place, so grind it the night before.
- You need a paniyaram pan. A heavy griddle with seven or nine hemispherical wells. A takoyaki pan works identically.
Method
- Grind the urad dal and fenugreek with 120ml water to a light fluffy paste, then grind the rice with 130ml water to a slightly grainy batter.
- Mix the two together by hand with the salt, cover and leave 8-10 hours in a warm place until risen and faintly sour.Mix with your hand, not a spoon. It is genuinely what starts the fermentation off well.
- Heat 2 tbsp gingelly oil in a small pan, pop the mustard seeds and fry the chana dal 40 seconds until golden.
- Add the shallots, green chilli and ginger and fry 4 minutes until the shallots are translucent and just colouring.
- Stir in the curry leaves, asafoetida and cracked pepper, cook 20 seconds and take off the heat.
- Fold the tempering and the coriander into the fermented batter; it should be thick, like a dropping cake batter.If the batter is runny the paniyaram will not hold a ball. Rest it 10 minutes rather than adding flour.
- Heat the paniyaram pan on medium and put 1/4 tsp gingelly oil into each well.
- Fill each well three-quarters full with batter, cover and cook 4 minutes until the tops are set and matte and the edges pull away.
- Turn each ball with a skewer or the handle of a spoon and cook uncovered 3 minutes more until browned all round.Wait for the edges to lift on their own before turning, or they will tear and stick.
- Serve straight from the pan with coconut chutney or a spoon of the day's kuzhambu.
Storage
Best eaten hot from the pan. The batter keeps 3 days refrigerated and improves in sourness; leftover paniyaram crisp up in a dry pan for 3 minutes.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Kuzhi Paniyaram (197 g) is about 533 calories, or 271 calories per 100 g.
Medium protein: 11 g a serving, 8% of the calories
| Per serving197 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 533 kcal | 271 kcal |
| Protein | 11.3 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 76.6 g | 39 g |
| of which sugars | 1.1 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 4.8 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 20.0 g | 10 g |
| of which saturated | 2.9 g | 2 g |
| of which unsaturated | 16.0 g | 8 g |
Syrup left in the bowl, or batter that yields more than the stated servings, means the real figures are likely lower. Nearest database match used for asafoetida, curry leaves, urad dal. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Tamil Nadu recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.