Savory Paniyaram(Rice-Battered Ball Pancakes)

Hmm, what are these spherical things,some of you might wonder.Paniyaram or Ball Pancakes to South Indians are what Aebleskiver is to the Dutch and Norwegians. It comes in various forms - Sweet, Stuffed or Savory. A very basic paniyaram is made with fermented seasoned rice batter and served hot with peanut chutney. For someone who grew up eating this often, a deprivation period of more than a month would result in withdrawal symptoms.This along with Rice Hoppers and Chutney Powder makes its way to the Combo Event @ Foodelicious.

Note: For Step-by-Step to make this recipe, follow a similar recipe here

 Ingredients:

• Rice Batter - 4 cups
• Red Onion - 1, small, finely diced
• Curry Leaves - 1 stalk, finely chopped
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Split Chickpea - 1 tbsp
• Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp or green chillies - 2, chopped
• Oil - 2 tbsp

For the Rice Batter:

• Parboiled Rice - 2 cups
• Black gram - 1/2 cup
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

  Tool:

• Pancake Puff Pan 

Procedure:

• Soak all the ingredients under "Rice Batter" overnight.
• Grind the soaked mixture the following day to a smooth batter in a high performance blender or wet grinder and let it the mixture ferment overnight in a warm place.
• Add salt to the batter and whip it with a little water to a consistency that is not too thick or runny.
• In a skillet, add a tbsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add split chickpea and saute for a minute or two until they turn light brown. 
• Add chopped curry leaves, onions, Green chillies or pepper flakes.
• Saute until onions are browned.
• Add the sauteed mixture to the fermented batter and mix gently.
• Grease the wells of the puff pan and fill them up with the batter.
• Using the wooden stick(that comes with the pan), flip the spheres and let cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

• Serve hot with peanut chutney!

Enjoy!