Monday 22 April 2013

Kuzhi paniyaram

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That's one more thing crossed off the "to make" list. I kept whining about not having an unniappam/aebleskiver pan for so long, my mum sent hers through my sister-in-law last year. For some strange reason I thought I couldn't use it on my flat glass hob and packed it up to send it back. But an over packed suitcase meant she had to leave some stuff behind and this pan was the first thing to be thrown out of the suitcase because my mum really couldn't care less about unniappams and she said she dint really want it back. So it was stashed away in a corner and forgotten....

...till a few weeks back when Vineetha sent me some yummy unniappam from her Vishu celebrations and I decided it was high time I fixed my unniappam pan issue. I mean I was having unniappam after some 2 or 3 years and it brought back all those memories and cravings for the same. Took the pan out and decided to give it a go (before Ro got back home from work, or else he would find some fault with it). As usual the necessary ingredients- jaggery and bananas- weren't in stock, but since the pan was out I HAD to make something in it. 
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The dosa batter (store bought) came to my rescue and since kuzhi paniyarams were a close second on the list, I got down to business. The pan worked and the paniyarams came out great. I was so excited at the outcome I couldn't wait to show Ro when he got back home. Of course he couldn't understand why I was getting hyper about the "idli's," after he bit into one. Thank god for whatsapp, I sent my sister-in-law (yes the one who brought me the pan) a pic and she was as excited as me, cos I introduced her to paniyarams at a South Indian restaurant here in London.

I served these with coconut chutney and it was the perfect tea time snack. The pan was put to good use shortly after where I made tiny vada's using the MTR vada mix. Like a fellow blogger friend said, it would be great as a starter with drinks and such.
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Idli/ dosa batter- 2 cups
Baking soda- 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves- 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 6 to 8, finely chopped
Ginger- 1 tsp, finely grated (optional)
Green chillies- 2, finely chopped
Shallots- 1/4 cup
Asafoetida- a pinch (optional)
Grated coconut- 2 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Oil- to fry
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In a large bowl mix the batter with baking soda and salt and keep aside for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan and splutter mustard seeds followed by curry leaves.
Tip in the ginger, green chillies and shallots and asafoetida and sauté till the onions wilt and turn light brown.
Add the grated coconut, stir for a couple more minutes and take it off the heat. Keep aside to cool.
Into the batter throw in coriander leaves and cooked mix and stir well to combine. Do a taste test and add more salt if required.
Heat the paniyaram pan and add a few drops of oil into each of the holes.
Once the oil is hot, add a tbsp of batter into each of the holes.
Cook on medium heat till the edges start turning brown.
At this point flip them using a fork or a skewer and let the other side cook equally. Drain on paper towels.
Add more oil into the holes and repeat till all of the batter is used up.

Notes: The batter I get from the store is very thick and so I dilute it with a bit of water.
The baking soda helps in achieving nice soft idlis and such and so by practise I always mix it in my batter. The paniyarams puffed up nicely with that addition.
Of course, you can make the same without a paniyaram pan, just that you wont get the perfect rounds. I have tried the same here is the recipe. Tasted just the same.

15 comments:

Torviewtoronto said...

delicious pictures yummy to snack on as well

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Simply delicious and mouthwatering paniyarams. Wonderfully prepared.
Deepa

Unknown said...

Wanna grab one from the screen nisha:) lovely paniyarams

Rafeeda AR said...

looks so really good... just like you said about the kuzhiyappam pan, i so excitedly asked my hubby to get it on his trip to india almost 6 months ago and i've still not used it... hmmm...

Vineetha Sush said...

After the unniappam session. I have packed the pan again but now I want to make this..maybe this weekend. They look so yumm..And I m sure S mighfishy the same thing if I get excited about it :) Thanks for the mention Nish :)

Priya Suresh said...

Those cuties looks super spongy,attractive and quite addictive, beautifully done Nisha, you are tempting me to make some.

Unknown said...

Can you freeze these yummies??

Sushma said...

my all time favorite :-) nice clicks

Nava K said...

The visuals are stunning, the paniyaram is amazing and adore how the flavors came together with a perfect cooking process.

turmericnspice said...

can you mail this to me? I can inbox you my address :)

Revathi Ramkumar said...

Stunning pics...its my all time fav dish

Kiran @ KiranTarun.com said...

Beautiful whimsical styling! And I need this deliciousness for breakfast. Every day :)

Shri said...

Nisha, lovely paniyarams.
Just chanced upon your blog and was browsing through the lovely pictures and posts. :-)

Unknown said...

Oh these lil ones are so good, i gonna miss eating..presentation with chai is very nostalgic!

Shree said...

great snack and a great tiffin box idea as well. been following u,am a big fan of ur pics !