Rava (Semolina/Sooji) Kuzhi Paniyaram

I haven't been very active recently on my blog due to some medical constraints but this snack is so delicious and was something new, atleast for me ; therefore I had to share it with all of you. 

Kuzhi Paniyaram is a popular Chettinad tiffin item, where fermented rice and lentil batter (idli / dosa batter)  is mixed with seasoning and steamed in special pans which comes with little golf ball size holes (kuzhi in Tamil). These paniyarams can be made either sweet or savoury.


My kind neighbour taught me this. Its quick and easy and convenient to satisfy the hunger pangs of little children and (tongue - in - cheek) hungry adults !!! It takes about 15 - 20 minutes from start to finish.

She told me that when one doesn't have idli /dosa batter at home, one can use rava / sooji which is easily available and rustle up this quick snack. What a wonderful idea !!

So here it is. I couldn't post a photograph because it was walloped up in a few minutes. Hungry adults you see !!! But the next time, I make a batch, I will surely post a picture.

I found an image of the Paniyaram on the internet from this site. So I have posted the image below to get an idea of what this recipe will turn out into. I hope they don't mind. 

The recipe is posted below the image. The video for Unni Appam (towards the end of the post) shows how much oil to put into the paniyaram pan for frying.

The paniyarams are soft and spongy.  Quite tasty.

Rava Paniyaram

Ingredients 1

Rava / semolina/ sooji / suji - 2 medium size cups full

Curd / dahi - 3 tablespoons

Method 1

Mix this with enough water.

Ingredients 2

Tomato - 1 medium size (grated)

Ajwain /carom seeds for digestion and taste - (read all about Ajwain / Carom seeds) - 1 teaspoon (I don't like ajwain so I wouldn't add this)

Eno salt sachet - 1 sachet (for digestion)

Green chillies (optional) - chopped

Salt - to taste

Everest Chaat masala - sprinkle to taste

Coriander leaves - a handful chopped

Method

1) Mix ingredients 2 with the rava and curd mixture and keep adding water to make a thick paste.

2) Heat the Paniyaram pan on the stove

3) Add a little cooking oil (about 1/4 tsp) into each slot / individual holder / kuzhi. Lower the flame to medium.

4) Fill each holder with the prepared paste. Cover with a flat lid.

5) Check after 2 minutes. If golden brown, use a butter knife or fork or similar to turn onto the other side. Fry well till golden brown on the other side.

This can be enjoyed with mint or coriander leaves chutney or tomato ketchup.

And do let me know how it went. :)

Note : Do take the largest size for bigger Paniyarams. I bought the smallest size by mistake.

Also -
A.  Masala kuzhi Paniyaram - to use the kuzhi paniyaram pan for another recipe using dosa /idli batter, do visit the lovely blog "Edible Garden" by my friend from Singapore, Nags (www.cookingandme.com) who has posted this recipe for Masala kuzhi paniyaram using dosa / idli batter. I love the colour of those golden brown paniyarams.

B. Unni Appam - use the small holders / kuzhi to make Unni appam is a small round sweet rice cake made from rice, Jaggery, plantain, Ghee etc. It is a popular snack in Kerala and is a main offering to Lord Ganapathi.  In Malayalam, 'Unni' means small and 'Appam' means rice cake. It is a Kerala version of aebleskiver.
Paniyaram is a Tamilian word.

You can try out this sweet Unni Appam recipe in your Paniyaram pan (which has smaller individual holders).
Watch the video and recipe - how to make Unni Appam.  The Appams must be dark brown.

C. Egg Paniyaram - click for the recipe.