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Masala Paniyaram Recipe – Chettinad Masala Paniyaram Recipe

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Masala Paniyaram recipe is a Chettinad dish that starts off with an idli dosa batter as base. I usually make paniyaram at home for a quick breakfast or have slightly sour leftover dosa batter that needs to get used up. I have tried a few different variations of paniyaram by adding coconut, more chillies, no tempering, etc and this paniyaram recipe I am sharing today is my absolute favourite.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe

To get started making your own paniyaram, you need a paniyaram pan which is very easily available in India and, of course, Amazon. While doing my own search to buy a paniyaram pan, I was quite intrigued by the fact that a few different cultures have snacks similar to paniyaram in their cuisine too – the popular aebleskiver from Denmark and Takoyaki from Japan. Takayoki usually has a filling but the concept of cooking or frying them is the same as making paniyaram.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe

Anyway this Masala Paniyaram recipe serves a a simplest evening snack for me and I hope you get to make this soon and share with your loved ones too.

Check out recipe for dosa batter, Mysore vada, jowar dosa, and masala dosa too, if you are looking for some more recipe ideas and inspiration.

Masala Paniyaram Recipe
 
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Masala paniyaram recipe or kuzhi paniyaram recipe is a quick Chettinad snack recipe made using dosa batter and added spices in a special pan.
Author:
Recipe type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 2.5 cups of dosa or idli batter
  • 1.5 tsp of oil
  • ¼ tsp of mustard seeds
  • A generous pinch of hing (asafoetida)
  • 2 tbsp of chopped onions or shallots (chinna vengayam)
  • 2 tbsp of grated coconut (optional)
  • 2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves or curry leaves
  • 4-5 tbsp of Indian sesame oil, for cooking
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the 1.5 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the hing and chopped onions or shallots. Fry until light golden brown.
  2. Turn off heat and add the coconut, if using.
  3. Let the coconut get lightly toasted in the remaining heat and add to the dosa batter along with the chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste.
  4. Mix well and set aside. The batter shouldn't be too runny, the consistency of batter for making idli is perfect.
  5. Heat the paniyaram pan and fill the each hole up to ⅓ with oil. You can add a bit less if using a non-stick pan.
  6. Once the oil is heated, pour enough batter into each hole to fill it. The oil will float to the top and spill over to the other holes. This is fine, paniyara pan is a way of deep frying the items and yet retaining the shape perfectly.
  7. Patience is required at this stage. On medium-low heat, cook the paniyaram for a good 3-4 mins until the bottom is nicely browned. Take care to regulate the heat properly otherwise the inside will not cook properly.
  8. Once the top of the paniyaram has risen a bit and is no longer too runny, gently flip them with a skewer. Take care while doing this. Once all are flipped over, let the other side cook for 2-3 mins.
  9. Once both sides are golden brown, gently remove using the skewer on to serving plates.

Step by step masala paniyaram recipe

Heat the 1.5 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the hing and chopped onions or shallots. Fry until light golden brown.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe

Turn off heat and add the coconut, if using.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-2

Let the coconut get lightly toasted in the remaining heat and add to the dosa batter along with the chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-3

Mix well and set aside. The batter shouldn’t be too runny, the consistency of batter for making idli is perfect.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-4

Heat the paniyaram pan and fill the each hole up to 1/3 with oil. You can add a bit less if using a non-stick pan.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-5

Once the oil is heated, pour enough batter into each hole to fill it. The oil will float to the top and spill over to the other holes. This is fine, paniyara pan is a way of deep frying the items and yet retaining the shape perfectly.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-6

Patience is required at this stage. On medium-low heat, cook the paniyaram for a good 3-4 mins until the bottom is nicely browned. Take care to regulate the heat properly otherwise the inside will not cook properly.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-8

Once the top of the paniyaram has risen a bit and is no longer too runny, gently flip them with a skewer. Take care while doing this. Once all are flipped over, let the other side cook for 2-3 mins.

masala paniyaram recipe, kuzhi paniyaram recipe-9

Once both sides are golden brown, gently remove using the skewer on to serving plates.

Serve paniyaram hot or warm with coconut chutney, tomato thokku (like I did), onion thokku, dosa podi, or even sugar. It’s very versatile!

Notes:
– Add a pinch or two of chilli powder if you want some heat in your paniyaram. I sometimes do this and sometimes don’t
– This recipe was updated and re-posted on December 3, 2014. I also added step by step pictures. Drop me a note if you try to try this masala paniyaram recipe at home
– For masala paniyaram recipe in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar

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  1. I love this – My mom has been making it for years almost exactly like this except she puts in some ginger garlic sometimes and no grated coconut – so good , except all my life I have never known what these are called ! we call them the round things (so original :P) but thanks for posting this, my most favourite south indian tiffin dish has a name !

    Reply

  3. HELLO NAGS…. I M FROM NORTHEAST INDIA. MY FRND USED 2 MAKE THIS DISH "PANIYARAM" N I LOVED IT.I M A GREAT FAN OF THIS DISH N I TRIED IT. REALLY, IT WAS YUMMM…THANKS 2 U SPECIALLY FOR D RECIPE OF THIS DISH.

    Reply

  6. wow the panniyaram looks delicious and so crispy …….. & will try soon………. but i have to order a pan soon … can u suggest me regarding pans ? cast iron is it good or non-stick pan ?

    Reply

  8. ok i just made a batch of these beauties and it turned out heavenly ..beautifully crispy and brown outside and soft inside…thanks a lot for the recipe nags….god bless

    Reply

  9. gee nags,
    i used to think that panniyaram making was a labour intensive procedure….u make it sound so simple ….thanks..now i can make this in a jiffy and trick people into thinkin that i had been labouring over this in the kitchen for a a hundred years! jus kidding..will try soon and let you know…..

    Reply

  10. That's a great idea anon. The only thing I feel is, if you make this in an idli maker in the MW, then it will taste more "steamed" than fried. Paniyarams are supposed to be semi-fried so the taste and texture will significantly differ if you follow the method you mentioned. Still might turn up a good snack though, I am sure 🙂

    Reply

  11. Hello,

    Nice recipe. Great for tea or even a quick tiffin stuff. I dont have the paniyaram Chatti /aebleskiver pan but I have idli maker which ca be used in microwave. I like the recipe but I think it can be made in microwave as well and with less oil. Saute onion, dal and other ingredients except idli batter. Can also add finely sliced capsicum OR peanuts. Then take it off the flame and mix with idli batter and cook in idli maker in microwave. I have never tasted this recipe but I think it will give the same taste in idli maker as well. I am new to cooking so its just an idea….

    Reply

  13. My daughter had her first taste of this dish and now wants me to make it at home! I didn't realise that it is so simple:) Lovely photos . Thanks for sharing.
    Vimala

    Reply

  17. I was so tempted ..I love the crunchy tasty paniyaram, that my grandma makes .. the best is the coconut chutney that goes with it… "Yummy" !!
    For those who are looking to buy one..I like to share the link where I bought ..
    http://www.perfectpeninsula.com/paniyaram.htm

    > I found the price cheaper than other web sites. It is non stick and it is pretty easy to make it and taste so good 🙂

    Reply

  25. That looks so beautiful.
    I found here a chatti, but not so deep, here they use it for a batter dessert, i think i should buy the pan and make this.
    Love that golden colour.

    Reply

  26. yes i had seen that one n commented too…..the name again was a twister for me…:)
    i felt unnecessary to link it as it is such a common recipe in the north n reading your's felt like it is common in the south too…

    Reply

  31. Hb, I'd have said kuzhi means hole, but I guess pit is more closer to the real deal since a hole can even be in the ceiling and a kuzhi can't be on the ceiling since it has to go down and not up..

    Ahh.. forget it! 😉

    Reply

  34. This is my husband's fav. dish. Thanks to the non-stick pan 🙂
    A small tip: After adding batter to the appam pan, i spread few grated carrot and garnish with ghee roasted Cashew Nut. It tastes yummy yummy 🙂

    Reply

  35. This is my husband's fav. dish. Thanks to the non-stick pan 🙂
    A small tip: After adding batter to the appam pan, i spread few grated carrot and garnish with ghee roasted Cashew Nut. It tastes yummy yummy 🙂

    Reply

  42. Wow!looks very good. I've made the Paniyaram, once before minus chilli powder, it was lighter in color than yours. Also, it absorbed lot of oil, so I'ven't tried after that. Will try out again with your recipe.

    Thanks
    Rg.

    Reply

  50. Hb- ohh appadiya wokay wokay. In Kannada its called Guliappa. Being the feminists that we (my sis and I) are we renamed it Guliamma 😛

    Reply

  53. Hb, I'd have said kuzhi means hole, but I guess pit is more closer to the real deal since a hole can even be in the ceiling and a kuzhi can't be on the ceiling since it has to go down and not up..

    Ahh.. forget it! 😉

    Reply

  58. Just feel like grabbing some, straight from the screen..a not so very good thought u see..esp. since its a fasting day for me…Grrrr wont forgive you for this Nags 🙁

    Reply

  63. areey.. sangeeta.. not at all 🙂 i have no qualms like that. and also, they are really not the same. urs have oatmeal, something that's very new to me 🙂

    Reply

  65. yes i had seen that one n commented too…..the name again was a twister for me…:)
    i felt unnecessary to link it as it is such a common recipe in the north n reading your's felt like it is common in the south too…

    Reply

  66. so many nice posts in the recent past…these paniyarams look awesome…don't have this pan but i use a small wrought iron kadai for making them ..slightly flat…n of course we don't call them paniyaram…now i have a name…:)

    Reply

  69. That looks so beautiful.
    I found here a chatti, but not so deep, here they use it for a batter dessert, i think i should buy the pan and make this.
    Love that golden colour.

    Reply

  78. These were made at home and have this slightly porous texture and with lotsa turmeric. We call them 'puli bongaralu', translated as tops I guess. I have no idea why!Thanks for reminding me of those beauties.
    Psst!I am not the first this time.

    Reply