Kuzhi Paniyaram

I will start by saying this “Aah heaven on a piece of rice bun”. Ok, rice bun is probably not a literal translation of the ingredients of this recipe but one of the ingredients. This simple yet mouth watering recipe rang a bell as I was contemplating what to cook for breakfast this past weekend. I wanted something different; something that I don’t make often. I was trying to recollect my childhood memories of food and I remembered this. This is such a versatile recipe that one can add as many or as little ingredients. Of course the main base for this recipe is the left over idli or dosa batter which cannot be compromised. You will also need the kuzhi paniyaram skillet which I did not find anywhere but to my rescue came the pancake puff skillet that I found at Bed Bath & Beyond ; it is no different from the traditional one.

Ingredients:

Left over idli or dosa batter
Some grated carrots
1 medium size chopped onions
1 green chillies chopped
couple of tablespoons of Chana Dal or split Chick Peas soaked overnight or at least 2 - 3 hours.
Chopped cilantro
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 - 2 tsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
Kari leaves
Salt to taste

Heat oil in small pan and add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add the kari leaves, green chillies, onions and ginger; saute. In just a few seconds, add the grated carrots, mix well and turn off the heat. Now add this mixture to the batter along with the soaked chana dal. Head the kuzhi paniyaram skillet. Add some oil so that the batter does not stick. personally, in my experience, even though I used a non-stick skillet, the paniyaram balls did not comes out well, so I used the non-stick spray. Pour a spoonful of batter in each impression. Cover it with a lid and let it cook on a medium heat. This is very key here. Keeping the heat at high or low temperatures will not make this recipe come out well.

After a couple of minutes, you will see the batter fluffed. Using a spoon, turn the paniyaram’s to cook on the other side.

Cover with the lid and let it cook for another 2 -3 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crunchy.

You can use a tooth pick to check if the paniyaram’s are cooked through the inside by piercing in the middle and removing. If no batter stuck to the stick then your hot paniyaram’s are ready to be eaten with coconut chutney!.