Photo: Sutapa Pal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamilnadu · Breakfast

Kuzhi Paniyaram (குழி பணியாரம்)

Traditional 23. Kuzhi Paniyaram recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 2 cups fermented dosa/idli batter (preferably slightly sour — 1–2 day old batter works best)
• 2 tsp oil (sesame/sunflower)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 8–10 curry leaves, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, finely minced
• 1 medium onion, very finely diced (½ cup)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated finely
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 2–3 tsp oil or ghee — divided across cavities (about ¼ tsp per cavity per batch)
• Sweet paniyaram (Chettinad): omit tempering, add 2 tbsp jaggery and ¼ tsp cardamom to batter

👩‍🍳 How to make Kuzhi Paniyaram

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a small pan over high heat.
2. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds — wait 20–25 seconds until they crackle and pop.
3. Reduce to medium heat.
4. Add 1 tsp urad dal and 1 tsp chana dal — fry for 45 seconds until light golden.
5. Add curry leaves (stand back — they sputter).
6. Add minced green chilies and grated ginger — fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
7. Add diced onion — fry for 3 minutes until softened and edges turn translucent.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Let tempering cool for 2 minutes.
10. Pour into fermented batter.
11. Add chopped coriander and salt.
12. Mix thoroughly but gently — do not deflate the batter's airy fermented bubbles.
13. The batter should be pourable but slightly thick (idli batter consistency).
14. Place the paniyaram pan (appe pan with 7 or 12 cavities) over medium heat for 1.5 minutes.
15. Add ¼ tsp oil or ghee to each cavity using a small spoon.
16. Allow oil to heat — it should shimmer but not smoke.
17. Using a small ladle or tablespoon, fill each cavity ¾ full with batter — do not overfill as the batter will puff up.
18. Each cavity holds about 2 tbsp batter.
19. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium-low heat for 5–6 minutes.
20. The paniyarams will puff and rise.
21. Check at 5 minutes — the top surface should be set and matte (not wet), and the sides should have pulled slightly away from the cavity walls.
22. Using a wooden skewer, thin spatula, or fork, insert into each paniyaram at the seam between cooked bottom and wet top and gently flip each one.
23. They should flip cleanly if the bottom is fully cooked — golden brown and set.
24. Add a tiny drop of oil (⅛ tsp) on top of each flipped paniyaram.
25. Cover again and cook on medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until the second side is golden brown.
26. Press gently — they should feel firm, not soft.
27. Remove with the skewer onto a plate.
28. Add fresh oil to cavities and repeat for remaining batter.
29. The second and third batches cook faster (3–4 min first side) as the pan is already hot.

Track the macros of Kuzhi Paniyaram and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.