Paniyaram recipe with step by step photos. Kuzhi paniyaram Are dumplings made from rice & urad dal batter or idli batter. They are vegan and gluten-free as well.
A special pan is used to make them and it is called as Paniyaram chatti Or appe pan. this special cookware has moulds in it and is similar to the æbleskiver pan used in european cooking. in the Indian market one gets both non-stick as well metal appe pans.
Paniyaram is also known as gunta ponganalu, paddu, guliyappa in other South Indian languages. They can be made plain, spiced or sweet. They are crisp from out and soft from within.
These are also a South Indian tiffin or breakfast snack and they are healthy like most South Indian food.
Kuzhi paniyaram is very easy to make if you leftover idli batter at home. I just add the onions, spices etc in the batter and make them with the leftover idli batter. Also there are versions where the spices are tempered and then added to the idli batter.
From the leftover batter I had, I made these Masala paniyaram as well as sweet paniyaram. Given a choice, I liked the Sweet paniyaram more than the masala ones.
My first introduction to paniyarams were when a friend would get these in her tiffin box sprinkled with Idli podi (dry idli chutney powder). One bite and I was hooked.
They were so much like idlis and unlike idlis for me. Soft like idlis from within but crisp from out. Thats what I like about paniyarams.
You will see in the pics below, the Paniyaram chatti i use at home. I have a traditional one and I got it from an antique shop in goa. It is very heavy and the batter does not stick at all in this one. I have made them many times in this traditional Chatti.
How to make paniyaram
1: add the chopped onions, green chilies, grated coconut, spices, herbs everything to the idli batter.
2: mix well.
3: heat the Paniyaram chatti. add a few drops of oil or 1 tsp of oil if you prefer in each mould.
4: pour the spiced idli batter in the moulds up to 3/4 of the mould.
5: allow to cook for a few minutes. Turn carefully with a wooden skewer or spoon and let the other side cook.
6: you can flip them once or twice more so that they get cooked evenly. You can also add some more oil if required. When the paniyarams are golden from all sides, remove in a casserole… So that they stay warm. Cook in batches this way.
7: you can Serve kuzhi paniyaram hot or warm with idli podi or coconut chutney. I served them with coconut chutney.
Few more snacks recipes for you!
Paniyaram
Ingredients
- 2 cups idli batter
- 1 medium size onion - finely chopped or minced
- 1 or 2 green chilies - finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger - finely chopped or grated
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper - optional
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoon chopped curry leaves
- ½ cup grated coconut
- salt if required
Instructions
making batter
- In a bowl take the idli batter.
- Add the chopped onions, green chilies, grated coconut, spices, herbs everything to the idli batter. mix well.
- Add salt if the idli batter does not have salt previously added to it. Stir well.
making paniyaram
- Heat the paniyaram chatti. Add a few drops of oil.
- Pour spoonful of the batter 3/4 of the paniyaram mould.
- Allow the batter to cook for 2-3 minutes on a low or medium flame.
- Turn each kuzhi paniyaram with the help of a wooden skewer or spoon.
- Now allow the other side to get cooked and crisp.
- Turn once or twice for uniform cooking.
- Remove them and keep in a casserole so that they stay warm.
- These kuzhi paniyaram are also good as tiffin box snack or picnic snack.
- Serve them with coconut chutney or sambar.
Hii dassana ji..m ur regular follower n tried many dishes of urs specially breakfast because I like varieties in my breakfast..i follow u only because it always comes good..now I want to ask you whether I can take it while journey?? please answer as soon as possible..after some days we are going to our native n I want to take this as snaks
thank you niharika. of course you can take masala paniyarams on a journey. it will stay good for 1 to 2 days.
Hii Dassana,
Can it only be made in the paniyaram chittis?? As i hv nevr made this n am interstd in makin the appams but i dn.t hv the moulds.. How can i make them.. Can they be made using idli moulds? Please suggest..
subhangini, in idli moulds, if you make then they will be a steamed version of masala idli. the fried crisp texture won’t be there. another method is to fry them. in andhra cuisine a similar snack is made called punugulu and they are deep fried. so you can check the method here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/punugulu-recipe-punukulu-recipe/
Thank you so much for the reply.. I will surely try this n let you know..
welcome subhangini. sure do let me know.
Also I add a little bit of rava to the batter just to the paniyarams crispy.. Thought I would share here. Thanks dassana
thanks harshi for sharing your tips and you are welcome.
Hi dassana thank you for inspiring me to cook.. I look at ur website/app to decide my dinner each day!
very pleased to know this harshi, thank you for positive views 🙂
I loved making these, I have been wanting to make it for a long time . It came out lovely and soft. Mind you I used ready box mixture, and it turned out good.
pleased to know this thankyou jai 🙂
Oh dassana ji your site is amazing I m your regular viewer .
thanks veena
pls post the recipe of idli podi
aashi, i will try to add the recipe.
Can I try this recipe with left over rava idli batter. Please suggest.
vijaya, yes you can try.
Thanx, I tried with left over rava idli batter…it came really well.
welcome vijaya. thanks for sharing the feedback. it will help other readers also.
I tried your Dosa and Paniyaram recipe those were really yummy
thanks vanchita
I just tried this with left over dosa batter and it turned out Yummy!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
welcome anu
stumbled upon this, when I was looking for idli recepie, as mine came out very dense, ( not spongy at all) I thought they did not come out spongy because I had mixed the batter quite a bit as I made dosa’s first. what is the trick. I do put Methi seeds during soaking, I now make dosas using the rice flour and urad dal flour, for short cut
the texture of paniyarams depends on the idli batter. if the batter has fermented well and increased in volume, then the paniyarams would also turn out good. there is no trick. its just fermentation that is important. a tip would be to add a bit of baking soda or yeast to the batter. the texture becomes better.
Loved your Pan. Exactly fits on glass top 🙂
I was on holiday in mumbai and bought the pan, and this week was free so I made the small dought nuts which were very nice and every one liked them thank u will be trying more of your recipes thank u
thanks mansukh.
Hi Dassana
So well tasty recipe but would like to know from where did you buy this paniyaram chatti. f you could help, i would like to purchase the same.
very healthy recipe,
Regards
Sunita
thanks sunita. i bought it from a antique shop. so i don’t think they will have a second piece.
I also did this panniyaram it is very tasty
thanks i.revathi for the positive feedback.
hi can we steam them in idli stand and than shallow fry them ?
yes you can do this way jasmin.
Hello
Loved your post!
Tried this receipe for the first time, earlier I used to make using curd & sooji ( in micro) . Turned out to be ok ( am not good at cooking ) but love experimenting, though!
My query is, the batter that I have is quite a lot so can I use it for making idlis in the micro.
Would be grateful if you could please let me know. Thanks in advance
thanks meghna. yes you can make idlis in the microwave.
hi Dassana,
Made these twice with leftover dosa batter and both the times they turned out very good.Thank you
thanks ashwini. its good to use left over food stuff.
this recipe rocked! thank you! made paniyarams for the very first time today and they turned out perfect.
Hi Dassana,
The first time I tried to make paniyaram it got stuck to the pan and didnt come out well so pretty scared to try it again, mine is a stainless steel pan…is there any tricks to use this kind of pan. your pan looks classy and vintage where did you buy it.
cheers
Dipika
you can apply some oil in the pan and keep it overnight or for a few days. try making one paniyaram and see if it gets stuck or not. if it does not then you can use the pan easily. this is a vintage piece which i got from an antique shop in goa.
Hello Dassana!
I dont have the chatti 🙁 How can I make these now?
Regards,
Suruchi
hi suruchi. you can even shallow or deep fry them. keep the batter thick, so that it does not spread in the oil. i am not sure about baking as i tried a few and they became dense.
Looks delicious. I’m surely going to try these. I have this chatty at home. We used to make unni appam with them. But now, its just lying idle. Do share the sweet paniyaram recipe too.
do use the chatti rajitha. will post the sweet appam soon. its lying in the drafts.
Looks too good….I love ur paniyaram pan 🙂
I just love this paniyaram…..looks delicious
Hi, what a cute abelskiver pan
I really love all your photographs, by the way the photography props are really good and give a rustic feel to the food,where did you buy this copper or brass pan from ,i also like the objects of that metal used in your blog elsewhere in other recipes . Just asked cause i also stay in goa an would like to have them
hi priya, i got the abelskiver pan from a antique shop near mckie’s market in baga beach. i don’t remember the name of the shop. there are some shops there and they sell antique stuff. these pans are popular with the tourists in goa and they use it like urli for keeping flowers in water. i have even seen these in hotels in goa. i guess the other object you are referring to must be the copper plates. these i got from bombay metal shop in madgaon. they have real some good stuff, especially for food bloggers.
Thanks just stumbled on your blog when i googled for a recipe by the way tried your dhokla recipe, turned out fabulous although the method is quite simple we also share some same interests such as preparing nutritious food, spirituality,meditation, photography
thats nice to know priya.
These look sooo addictive dassana. I think I have tasted something similar at a south indian friends house. They pair well with chai or filter coffee.
Love these. We call them appe or appam. Mouth-watering pics as usual! 🙂