Persimmon Kuzhi Paniyaram (Spicy)

What is Kuzhi Paniyaram?  Let me try to define that for those who haven’t heard about this dish.

Kuzhi Paniyaram is a sweet or savory “donut hole” like Tamil Nadu snack delicacy prepared by adding special ingredients to fermented rice/ urad dal batter (same as idli batter) and shallow fried on a special thick bottomed pan with multiple small fissures as shown in the recipe picture. The paniyaram batter can be made either sweet (by adding coconut, jaggery, elaichi) or spicy (by adding spicy tadka with onion, green chilies as explained in this recipe).

Kuzhi paniyaram is more famous in Tamil Nadu amongst the Nattukottai Chettiyar community.  Bride and groom are optional in Chettiyar weddings, but paniyaram is a must, like how important Hilsa fish is for a Bengali wedding (pun intended!).

Paniyaram is also famous in the neighboring states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and is known by various names including paddu, appe, guliappa, gulittu, yeriyappa, gundponglu, ponganalu.  Their versions taste outstanding as well – I will post those recipes on separate blogs.

Now let us ignite some “paniyaram” war.  If we have to give credit to just one state for inventing/ perfecting paniyaram, which State the credit should go to and why. 

I still have few persimmons left in my pantry that were sent by my friend Krishna from California.  Today I experimented making Persimmon Kuzhi Paniyaram using the idli batter and the taste is simply amazing.  My wife and I enjoyed these with ginger chutney and they were gone in a few mins.  For some reason my son does not care about Kuzhi Paniyaram, hope he will become a fan soon.  Here is the recipe for everyone’s enjoyment.

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Persimmon Kuzhi Paniyaram (Spicy)

Persimmon Kuzhi Paniyaram (Spicy) is a fruity and spicy twist to the authentic Chettinadu Kuzhipaniyaram version!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Appe, Chettinad, Healthy, Kuzhipaniyaram, Persimmon

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Senthil Sadasivam

Ingredients

• 1 cup Idli batter fermented

Persimmon paste ingredients

• 1 Persimmon ripe, chopped
• 1 Red chili
• 2 Garlic cloves

Tadka ingredients

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 tsp Urad dal
• 1 Sprig Curry leaves chopped
• 1 Onion chopped
• 1 Green chili chopped
• 1/4 inch Ginger chopped
• 2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
• Salt to taste
• Oil as needed

Instructions

1. Roast red chili and garlic in 1 tsp oil on a pan until they are slightly browned. Grind the chopped persimmon along with the roasted chili/ garlic to a fine consistency and add to the idli batter.  Idli batter to persimmon paste quantity ratio should be around 3:1.  Add more idli batter to match the ratio if needed.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and do the tadka with ingredients listed under tadka.  Add to batter, mix gently and adjust salt level.  The batter consistency should neither be too thick nor too thin, add some water if needed.

3. Heat paniyaram pan on the stove and in each mould pour about 1/2 tsp oil.  Pour one spoon batter mix into each mould just enough to fill them a little below their capacity.  The paniyaram will expand and almost become double the size when fully cooked.

4. Let them cook for few mins until they get golden brown at the bottom.  Then slowly rotate the paniyaram using a wooden stick/ spatula (the accessory that came with the pan).  Cook on the other side for few mins so they get evenly browned on both sides.  Perfectly cooked paniyaram will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and should melt in the mouth.

5. Serve the paniyaram when hot with chutney of your choice.  Popular combinations are onion or ginger or garlic or red chili chutney or idli podi mixed with sesame oil.