Start the day before. The soaking alone is 4 hr, against 50 min of actual work.
Allergens in Paal Paniyaram: none of the ten listed below.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 150g, raw, soaked 4 hours Riceidli rice or any short grain
- 75g, soaked 4 hours Urad Dal
- 500ml, thick Coconut Milkthe paal; fresh-pressed if you can
- 150g, grated Jaggeryor 120g sugar
- 2 tbsp Sugaradjust to how sweet your jaggery isoptional
- 4, seeds crushed Cardamom
- 3 tbsp, grated Coconuta few pieces fried in the oil for the topoptional
- 400ml, for deep frying Coconut Oilor a neutral oil
- 100ml Waterfor grinding and melting the jaggery
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai, 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 and urad dal separately for 4 hours. They grind to different textures and must be ground apart.
- The batter needs to be thick enough to drop from a spoon and hold a round shape. Thinner and the dumplings flatten and drink oil.
- A short 2-3 hour ferment at room temperature gives a lighter dumpling, but this version works unfermented too if you are in a hurry.
- Warm the coconut milk gently and never boil it. It splits and turns grainy.
Method
- Grind the soaked urad dal with 50ml water to a light, fluffy paste, 4-5 minutes in the blender.The urad should almost double in volume and feel airy. This is where the softness comes from.
- Grind the soaked rice separately with 50ml water to a slightly grainy paste, like fine semolina.
- Fold the two together with the salt to a thick dropping batter. Rest 30 minutes.
- Melt the jaggery in 100ml water over low heat, then strain out the grit.Jaggery always carries sand and fibre. Straining is not optional.
- Warm the coconut milk with the strained jaggery syrup, the crushed cardamom and the sugar over the lowest heat, until it just steams. Take it off and keep it warm.Do not let it bubble. Boiled coconut milk splits and the dish is ruined.
- Heat the coconut oil in a kadhai to 170C. Fry the coconut pieces for 30 seconds until gold and lift them out.
- Drop in teaspoons of batter, 8-10 at a time, and fry 4-5 minutes, turning, until they puff and turn even gold.Keep the heat medium. Rushed at high heat they brown outside and stay raw and sour in the middle.
- Drain briefly, then drop the hot dumplings straight into the warm sweetened coconut milk.
- Let them soak at least 20 minutes, until they have swollen and gone soft all the way through.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the fried coconut.
Storage
Best the day it is made. Keeps 2 days refrigerated, though the dumplings go softer and denser. Bring back to room temperature or warm very gently; do not boil.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Paal Paniyaram (277 g) is about 782 calories, or 283 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 9 g a serving, 5% of the calories
| Per serving277 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 782 kcal | 283 kcal |
| Protein | 9.4 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 91.7 g | 33 g |
| of which sugars | 46.0 g | 17 g |
| Fibre | 3.9 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 44.6 g | 16 g |
| of which saturated | 38.5 g | 14 g |
| of which unsaturated | 3.0 g | 1 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 jaggery, urad dal. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
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Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.