Paniyaram – a Malayali mom's hack for leftovers is taking over Instagram
Banana bread is okay, but does your Instagram feed feature the sexiest new snack in town?
Mothers are pre-programmed to be eco-warriors – nothing ever goes to waste under their regime. Your formal wear turns into night wear, then Holi wear, and eventually a poccha. Dal from the night before is kneaded into paratha dough, over-ripened banana magically transforms into banana bread, and as it turns out, leftover dosa batter morphs into fluffy balls which make for the perfect monsoon snack – paniyaram.
“For all Malayali mothers, there are certain rites of passage that a portion of idli batter goes through. It’s first used to make idlis. The leftover batter is stored and used to make dosa the next day, and if you still have some more left, that is stored again, and used to make paniyaram,” explains Sara Nair, chef and founder of Nair on Fire – a catering service that specialises in homestyle food from Kerala.
“No one ever makes fresh batter just for paniyaram, it’s unheard of,” she adds with utmost seriousness, making one wonder what would become of them if they were to walk into a Malayali household and dare to speak of that one time they prepared batter only to make paniyaram. Oh, the horror.
According to Nair, paniyaram also helps build immunity and keeps a check on gut health, all thanks to the fermentation it undergoes.
But how have these steamed balls of goodness managed to make their way from the fragrant kitchens of South India to millenials’ Instagram feed? “Because they’re so easy to make. It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to cook, and there is close to no prep required because you’re using leftovers,” explains Nair, talking about how paniyaram isn’t only mouthwatering, but a really convenient snack to whip up.
Another plus point about paniyaram is that there is no standard recipe, you can throw in whatever you like – grated vegetables, jaggery, and even banana. It also tastes divine with absolutely any dipping sauce, but Nair’s favourite paniyaram accompaniment is south Indian tomato chutney.
Which she very kindly shared with us on one condition: never break the sacred chain of idli-dosa-paniyaram, no matter how many Instagram likes it gets you.
Paniyaram with south Indian tomato chutney
Paniyaram
Ingredients:
- 3 cups dosa batter, preferably slightly sour to get it crisp on the outside
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- Green chilli as per taste, chopped
- A few curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- Gingelly oil (can be substituted with other kinds of oil as well)
- A pinch of hing
- Cashews (optional)
- Carrots, finely chopped (optional)
- Capsicum, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:
- Heat the oil, and then add mustard seeds, urad dal, onions, green chilli, curry leaves to it, and sauté the mixture.
- Temper the batter with this sautéed mixture and grated vegetables, and mix it thoroughly. Then, add hing.
- Take a paniyaram pan and pre-heat it.
- Add a teaspoon of oil in each of the holes in the pan.
- After it’s hot, reduce to a medium flame and add a teaspoon of batter to the moulds. Don’t fill the mould to brim.
- Cover the pan and cook for two minutes.
- Then uncover it and flip the paniyarams over.
- Cook without covering the pan for another two minutes or till the paniyarams are cooked.
- The edges should be crisp and golden brown.
- Once done, take a fork and pull them out and serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Tomato chutney
Ingredients:
- 4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, diced
- Salt to taste
- Sugar or jaggery to taste
- 1.5 tsp sambar powder
- Gingelly oil
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 green chillis, chopped
- A pinch of hing
- A few curry leaves
Directions:
- Put the tomatoes in a mixer with salt, sugar and a spoon of sambar powder, and blend. Do not add water.
- Then, take a pan and add gingelly oil and put in mustard seeds, urad dal, green chillies and some curry leaves.
- Once the raw smell goes add the tomato paste to this mixture.
- Add half a spoon of sambar powder and a pinch of hing as well.
- Adjust the salt to balance the sourness. You can also add a pinch of sugar or jaggery if required.
- Cook this till reduced to a very thick gravy.
- Please ensure that this is cooked on medium flame as the gingelly oil is prone to burning, which will make the tomato splutter.