Kuzhi Paniyaram, a ball-shaped savory dumpling made from fermented rice and lentil batter is a popular South Indian breakfast dish. It is generally made using the leftover idly/dosa batter in a cast iron paniyaram pan. I am sharing a recipe for healthy and delicious vegetable kuzhi paniyaram where the batter is made from scratch from soaked and ground rice, urad dal, and chana dal. The batter can be used directly or allowed to ferment for 5-6 hours. To make the dish more wholesome, I add vegetables like carrot, onion, and coriander to the fermented batter before it is cooked in paniyaram or the appe pan. Serve Kuzhi Paniyaram along with coconut chutney for breakfast or as a tea time snack. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Love for Kuzhi Paniyaram
To be very frank I have been enjoying this dish since my childhood and we call it appe in Maharashtra. As a child, I always thought that it was a Maharashtrian dish as we made it quite often. My mom never made them using leftover idly batter, she always made the batter for scratch. I am sharing the very same recipe which we have been following from ages. The only change I have made is that I add veggies to it to make it more wholesome. My family just loves to have kuzhi paniyaram for breakfast and I make sure I make it once every week. My son takes it happily in his lunch box. This dish is ideal for kids parties and get-togethers as a healthy appetizer.
Paniyaram / Appe Pan
To make Kuzi paniyaram we require a paniyaram pan. It is also called as appe pan or Aebleskiver pan. It is a cast-iron pan with circular cavities. Few drops of oil are added to each cavity before pouring the batter. The pan is covered with a lid for the paniyaram to cook. Once it turns crisp and golden brown from beneath the paniyaram is flipped and the other side is being cooked, now without being covered by the lid. Paniyaram pan not only allows one to enjoy the deep-fried snack and finger food with just a few drops of oil but also makes the dish loop appealing because of the shape it lends to the snack. Nowadays non-stick paniyaram pans with a glass lid are available easily in Indian marts and online as well. I make both sweet and savory snack using this paniyaram pan like Banana Oats Appam, Beetroot Corn Fritters.
Variations
There are many variations to this vegetable kuzhi paniyaram. As mentioned above, ideally it is made from the leftover idly/dosa batter which has turned a bit sour. Another variation is that the batter is first oil tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and sauteed veggies and then added to the cavities of the paniyaram pan and then cooked. Paniyaram is also made using rava(semolina) and rice flour. I will share that recipe also soon.
What goes into my Vegetable Kuzhi Paniyaram?
To make the batter for Kuzhi Paniyaram from scratch, we need rice, chana dal( Bengal gram) and urad dal (black gram). The ratio of rice to lentils is 1:1. So for 1 cup rice, we will need 1/2 cup urad dal and 1/2 cup of chana dal. Next, we require veggies like onion, carrot, ginger, and green chilies. Fresh coriander is also used used apartb from cumin seeds and salt to flavor the paniyaram. Little oil is required to cook the paniyaram. Both lentils are rinsed and soaked together whereas the rice is soaked in a separate container for 6-8 hours. The lentils and rice are drained and ground separately with cumin seeds, ginger, green chilies, and salt. The ground rice and lentil batter is then mixed together, covered, and allowed to ferment for 4-5 hours. The batter can directly be used for making paniyaram though. Chopped or grated veggies are then added to the batter and then it is poured in greased cavities of the paniyaram pan and allowed to cook from both sides until it turns crisp and golden brown from both sides. The leftover fermented batter can be stored in a refrigerator for 1-2 days but before adding the veggies to it.
This is an old post that i had published in 2016 during my initial blogging days. I have updated this post today with the new images and written content of this recipe. I have many such old posts where the photography is dull and the recipe is not up to the mark. Such posts need to be updated with new pictures and written content. Thanks to Renu, my dear friend, and a fellow blogger who came up with a Facebook group, Foodies_Redoing Old Posts as an initiative, where we bloggers can update our old posts with either new pictures or written content or both every two weeks. This is my 18th entry into this event (12thJune 2020). the pic below is my old pic of vegetable Kuzhi Paniyaram. meanwhile, do check out Renu's blog for some delicious recipes like Rajasthani Paush Bada, an onion-garlic free crunchy snack using lentils and spinach which i want to try out in a paniyaram pan.
Preparation Time: 12 hours (including time required for fermentation)
Cooking Time: 6-8 minutes per batch
Serves: around 2 dozen paniyaram
Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml
- 1 cup Rice
- 1/2 cup skinned and split Black gram ( Dhuli Urad Dal )
- 1/2 cup Bengal gram ( Chana Dal )
- 1/2 inch piece of Ginger
- 2 green Chilies
- 1 tsp Jeera ( Cumin)
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 large Carrot, grated
- 2-3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh Coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
- 2-3 tbsp of Oil
Method:
- Wash and rinse the rice. Mix the Urad dal and Chana dal, wash and rinse them also. Soak the rice and dals in enough water separately overnight.
2. Next day, do not rinse the rice or dal, just drain it and reserve the water in which it was soaked. We will be using the same water while grinding. Now grind the rice separately using a grinder. Add water little by little and grind to a thick batter. Similarly, grind the dals together in a grinder. Add ginger, cumin seeds, and green chilies to the soaked dal while grinding. In a big vessel combine both the ground rice and dal batter along with salt with your hand or spoon. ( You can also add salt while grinding the batter) Cover and allow to ferment for at least 4-5 hours.
3. You can make Paniyaram out of this fermented batter, but adding veggies make it more healthier. You may add sweet corn, green peas, finely chopped carrots, and coriander to the batter. If you want, you may also saute the veggies first in little oil and then add them to the fermented batter. Mix the veggies to the batter nicely with a spoon.
4. Add 1-2 drops of oil in each well of the paniyaram pan and heat it over medium flame. Fill 3/4 of each cavity with the batter ( as it will rise little while cooking). Cover the pan and let the Paniyaram cook on low to medium flame for 2-3 minutes or until the lower side is golden brown, flip each of paniyaram with the help of a wooden stick. Cook for 1-2 minutes again but without the lid this time. I have used very little oil, as my paniyaram pan is nonstick. If using the traditional iron casts, you may need at least 1/4 tsp of oil in each cavity.
5. Remove the Paniyaram and keep in a bowl. Serve hot with chutney of your choice and enjoy these healthy treats with your loved ones!
Recipe Notes:
- Kuzhi Paniyaram is made from the leftover idly/dosa batter which has turned a bit sour. Here, i am sharing the recipe to make the batter from scratch.
- I have directly added the veggies to the fermented batter, however, you may oil temper the batter with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and sauteed veggies and then added to the cavities of the paniyaram pan.
- The fermented batter( without adding the veggies) can be stored in a refrigerator for 1-2 days. So i would suggest adding veggies to the batter in batches.
- Vegetable kuzhi paniyaram can be served at breakfast or as a tea time snack with any chutney of your choice. We personally love it with Coconut chutney.
- The kuzhi paniyaram taste best when served hot. However, leftovers can be warmed either in a microwave oven or in a heated paniyaram pan.
I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.
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