There I go again, with a healthy breakfast and snack option! This post is about instant ragi paniyaram. Almost all of South India have it but they are known by different names in the various states. In Tamil nadu, it is known as Kuzhi Paniyaram. In Kannada, it is called Paddu and gunta panganalu in Telegu. It is also quite commonly called ‘appe’. They look like idlis but are smaller in size. And unlike idlis, these are not steamed. Instead, they are pan fried in a special pan called an appe pan.
Nothing beats a luchi and alur torkari for a Bengali breakfast . (Link)
As a family, we have one South Indian style breakfast every week. It could be either idli or utappams. Normally we stick to dosa once a month. However, it never occurred to me to post a few of these breakfast recipes on the blog until now. There was a client requirement for a few dishes
}made with ragi flour and flaxseed. So I had made ragi paniyaram with flax seed. Since the photographs were already taken, we thought of posting the same on our blog.
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When did I start making ragi paniyaram at home?
I have to constantly think about ways to keep my ‘ever hungry’ kids satiated. They say that ‘ma er nojor beshi lage’. It’s difficult to translate this into English but loosely said, it would be the so called ‘mother’s gaze’ that is said to affect a child. Every time, I go to the pediatrician, I complain about how much they want to eat all the time and she looks at me very strangely. I must be the only mother, who complains about their children eating everything. Therefore, I have to always figure out ways to make new recipes at home, especially for snacking in the evening. They get bored easily, if the same snack is repeated often. These Instant ragi paniyarams were a culmination of that effort.
Instant Ragi Paniyaram is easy to make
Typically, paniyarams are made for breakfast. However, as a family, we have only weekend breakfast together. Luchi is mandatory for a Sunday breakfast and Saturdays is usually something grand with eggs. Hence, the paniyarams are kept for evening snack. Tugga and Brishti need something filing after their evening play and these instant ragi paniyarams are a life saviour. In fact, you can make these in various flavours, even sweet ones.
Appe pans are used for making paniyarams
Once you have an appe pan with you, the sky is your limit. They come in handy for making quite a number of things, including mini fluffy pancakes. Appe pans have hollow cavities, much like idli pans and they either come in the cast iron variety or a non stick variety. So all you have to do is brush the cavities with a little bit of oil or ghee or butter and make whatever you want. I have even made meat balls in these appe pans with just brushing the cavities with oil.
The recipe is very similar to a sooji (semolina) and flour cheela that I make. Instead of water in the batter, I add curd or yogurt. With ragi flour, you can also make many dishes like ragi pancakes, ragi chila, ragi parathas and more. It’s always very enriching to experiment with different grains. Once you get the hang of it, it kind of becomes a habit.
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This Ragi Paniyaram recipe does not need a fermented batter. It is an instant recipe
All you need is curd and you have to rest the batter for a maximum time of fifteen minutes. That should be enough to make nice and soft paniyarams. Ragi flour gives it a bit of a rough texture. However, if you want, you can do away with ragi flour and make it with sooji only. May be, you can replace the ragi flour with oats powder. I haven’t tried the oats recipe but will do for sure. I have added lots of chopped onions, ginger garlic, lentils and spices to make this instant ragi paniyaram more interesting. You could also call them masala paniyaram.
Here are some easy Breakfast ideas for you to cook –
You will need coconut chutney as a side for the ragi paniyarams.
I normally serve ragi paniyaram with green coconut chutney. Almost everyone at home, except Anindya, is spice averse. So we avoid the red chili chutney. However, you can make any kind of chutney for these little dumplings.
Do try this recipe and share your feedback. You can reach out to us at our social media handles: Instagram, Facebook or any of our personal Facebook (Madhushree and Anindya) and twitter profiles. Post a picture and tag us.
Here are a few more recipes which can be had as an evening snack, especially for Children after their evening play. Click the links to read.
Farmer’s Fritatta- A wholesome breakfast and filling evening snack
Alu tokri chat- a crowd pleaser
Banana Bread with Maple Butter Cream
You can follow our pinterest board here for more recipes and you can repin this recipe
Instant Ragi Paniyaram- A healthy breakfast and snack option
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sooji semolina
- 1/2 cup ragi flour
- 1/2 cup Yogurt
- 1 tbsp Ghee plus extra for greasing
- 3 tsp flaxseed powder optional
- 1 pinch Baking soda
- 1 no Medium Sized Onion
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 8 no curry leaves
- 2 tsp chana dal
- 2 tsp urad dal
- 3 tbsp grated coconut
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
- Make the batter using sooji, ragi flour and flax seed powder. Add the yogurt, 1 tbsp ghee and ½ cup of water and let it sit for a few minutes, about 15 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat some vegetable oil and add the chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves. When they have browned a bit, add onions, chopped ginger, chopped garlic and stir fry over medium heat.
- Add a little bit of salt and continue frying for half a minute. Add the grated coconut and fry for another half a minute.
- Go back to the batter and add more water if you see that the batter has become very thick. Add a pinch of soda and then transfer the onion masala into the batter. Whisk to mix everything properly.
- Check the seasoning and add more salt if required. The batter needs to be of the same consistency as an idli batter. So add water if required. Since there is sooji, the batter thickens often.
- Place an appe pan on the gas and brush the cavities with some ghee. Take a spoon and pour the cavities with the batter when the pan is hot.
- Lower the heat and cover the appe pan till you see the colour changing to brown (ragi flour makes it brown). It takes about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pan and the heat from the gas.
- Carefully turn the paniyarams to cook the other side. This side takes less time to cook. However, do cover and cook only.
- Once you see a beautiful brown colour on the other side as well, take them out.
- Serve the ragi paniyarams hot with some green coconut chutney. You can sprinkle some gunpowder on the appes too if you like.