Ragi Paniyaram / Kezhvaragu Paniyaram - Graceful Shapes n Earthy Flavor

Finger-Millet Paniyaram:

Ingredients:

Ragi flour 1 cup
Green chilies 3 chopped
Ginger 1" grated
Onion 1 small chopped
Cilantro leaves few
Curry leaves few
Salt
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Chana dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

In a small pan, heat oil and throw in all the spices one by one and fry real good. Now mix this to the flour and add water, make a heavy consistency batter.

Smear the paniyaram griddle with oil. Fill them up with this batter. Cook both the sides to perfection. There you go...got it.

Serve them with fresh mint or coconut chutney. Dinner ready:)

Egg Paniyaram - New Kind of Dinner:)

Mutta Paniyaram:(Country Style)

Muttai Paniyaram. Gudilu Paniyaram. Anda Bonda?!!

Again no fancy dish today, this could be whipped without big plans...got some idly- dosa batter? You think it going bit sour, you feel little bored with regular cooking. Here you go...spice up the batter in your own home-adapted style, add one or two eggs to it. Thats it, all set for new kind of dinner.

Ingredients:

Rice batter 2 cups
Eggs 2
Green chilies 1 chopped
Ginger 1" grated
Onion 1 small chopped
Cilantro leaves few
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Chana dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Set the eggs and batter aside.

In a small pan, heat oil and throw in all the spices one by one and fry real good. Now mix this to the batter. Further add eggs and mix thoroughly.

Smear the tawa/ paniyaram griddle with oil. Fill them up with this batter. Cook both the sides to perfection. There you go...got it.

Serve them with fresh mint or coconut chutney. Dinner ready:)

Malabar Special Ramzaan Sweet Treat

Unnakayi. Unnakaye. Unnakaya. Pazham Nirachadhu. Stuffed Plantains. Vazhai Kai Appam?Vayaka Adda. Vayyakada. Kai ada. Kayeada.

Generally I do cook several dishes from my blogger friends, but I don't picture or post them. This is the first time, I am so impressed with my fellow blogger's work and tried her recipe the very same day. When she posted this recipe' under Ramadhaan special, I was so curious to try it immediately. That was quite exciting and totally a new dish for me:) But I was so skeptical to post the same because' mine didnt turn out very well...hmmm but its okay for the first time, right! Anyhow, comeon please take a look, at the original version, here.

Ingredients:

Semi ripe plantains (not raw, not ripe...you got it?)
Egg with Sugar - scrambled
Cashewnuts and raisins - ghee fried.
Ghee for deep frying.

Method:

Steam the palntains, peel and core them. Now mash them coarsely.

Divide into equal parts, and flatten them...fill-in scrambled eggs plus nuts and raisins. Cover and bring them to elongated ball shapes. Repeat the same for allt he remaining stuff too.

Shallow or deep fry these in hot ghee. Yep, ready...so yummm:)

Nei Appam

Unniappam:

Appam. Paniyaram. Unniappam. Nei Appam.

During summer vacation, We (myself and cousins) used put our Derra'(camp) at Madras, Periamet...Grandma's house. All day long is mostly fun filled activities...learning to drive bicycle in the narrow streets, playing cricket using rubber ball, passing comments on all the baldies from 4th floor, persuading Uncle to take us to the beach, light house, circus, what ever...definitely tired by evening!!!Grandma used to make this 'nei appam' in the evening and we will devour it, in minutes.

This is one recipe, that I requested my Auntie to bring the original recipe for me to try. She is so kind to photocopy all her recipe collection and brought that as a sweet surprise to me, at the airport(when I headed back here). Although I made them using this fancy griddle, my grandma used to bring the same shape without any special equipment...she directly fries the batter in hot ghee, yep' still it turns out very uniform in shape, fluffy and so spongy! Hmmm, kind of still working on it!! Here you go, my short cut version till then...

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1 cup
Jaggery 1/2 cup
Coconut milk 1/4 cup
Coconut grated few spoons
Cardamom powder 1/4 spoon
Dash of ginger powder
Ghee/clarified butter for deep frying/pan frying.

Method:

Soak rice for several hours and wet-grind the same to thick batter.

Add all the other ingredients to it, except oil.

Now heat oil, in a pan...and spoon-in the batter and fry the same, till golden brown to reddish brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Paruppu Paniyaram - Chettinad Special

Paruppu Paniyaram:(Chettinad Style)

Lentils Paniyaram. Dhal Paniyaram. Parippu Paniyaram.

Nothing much to say...I like chettinad cuisine. Especially their wide array of paniyarams:) I prefer 'Paruppu Paniyaram'(Mixed Lentils Puff?!!)better, as it is good source of protein. Unlike deep fried/shallow fried vadai it consumes less oil, so guilt free indulgence.

Ingredients:

Tuvar dal
Moong dal
Chana dal
Urad just few spoons
Rice few spoons
Salt
Soda 1 pinch
Ginger 2" grated
Green chilies 3 finely chopped
Cilantro few chopped
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Ghee/ Pam spray oil/ oil few spoons.

Method:

Soak the lentils and rice together for 2-4 hours and wet grind them coarsely.

Now throw in all the above mentioned items, except oil.

Heat the paniyaram/puff skillet, spray oil. Ladle down the batter. Cook over medium heat and turn them using fork/needle. Cook the other side too.

Is it ready?? Then what, flip them...serve yourself, enjoy:)

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Kuzhi Paniyaram:

Kaara Paniyaram. Paniyaram. Kuzhi Paniyaram.

My mommy never made this dish. But I always longed for it! I happened to taste this in some lollu restaurant(kind of like mess), alright. I actually like the shape of the dish...more than the taste...its so 'cute'.

This time, when I went home for vacation...I saw this 'kuzhi paniyaram tawa/vessel' in the kitchen. Our maid said..."Akka neither your Dad or Mommy like this paniyaram that I make, it would be better...if you take this tawa with you". I was so angry at my Dad...said, 'okay this is such a yummy breakfast...probably the cook didnt do it well for you'll...I will fix it, you are going to love it'.

I used the dosa batter...spiced it up, did exactly the way they do. To my surprise, it turned up great (for the first time). Once agian, neither my Dad or Mom liked it...they wanted the usual 'Dosa' or 'Idly'! Hmmm, what can I say!:( I happily packed this 'tawa' for myelf here!:)

Ingredients:

Dosa batter 2 cups
Spanish onions small 2
Greenc hilies 3
Salt
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoons
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

In a wide wok, heat oil. Add all the spices and followed by finely chopped chilies and onions. Fry real good, till they turn golden color.

Now add these to batter. Mix well.

In the paniyaram vessel, smear enough oil. Fill the batter up in the laddles...

Slow cook them over low-medium heat. Once yous ee some golden color on the sides, carefully turn them using a bambook skewer/ they do give a sharp needle to go witht his vessel, better use it.

Cook them ont he other side too.

Serve warm with chutney. hmmm, I love it.

Nei Appam:(Tamizhar Style)

Appam. Arisi Appam. Ghee Fried Appam. Rice Appam. Chawal ki Appam. Inippu Appam.

Ingredients:

Rice 1 cup
Jaggery 3/4 cup grated
Coconut grated 1/4 cup
Cardamon seeds powder - 1/2 spoon
Coconut milk 1/2 cup
Ghee for frying.

Method:

Soak rice for 2 whole hours. Then wet-grind it into thick batter.....using coconut milk.

To this batter, add grated jaggery, coconut and cardamon seeds powder. After adding jaggery the batter may become thin. (so try to make thick batter in the first step)

Variation 1:

Smear ghee in the traditional 'appam tawa' or 'kuzhi-paniyaram tawa'. Run spoonfull of batter in each pit. Cook over medium heat. When it gets browned at one side. Using a edge of the spoon turn this to other side and continue cooking. When it is done....transfer to serving plate.

Variation 2:

Or simply heat ghee in deep kadai/wok. Run spoonful of batter like a bonda' in the hot ghee. Fryt hem till golden-reddish brown. Transfer to kitchen tissues.

Serve warm as a snack or dessert.

Maida Appam:

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 1 cup
Thick coconut milk 1-2 cups
Jaggery 3/4 cup
Grated coconut few spoons
Green cardamom powder 1 spoon
Ginger powder 1 spoon
Ghee for frying.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned above, except ghee.

Make a runny consistency batter...using coconut milk.

Heat ghee over medium to high flame.

Drop the batter into balls. Fry them till reddish brown.

Leaves them over kitchen tissues.

Serve hot.