Rawa paniyaram

Rawa dosa used to be a regular feature in our house when I was growing up, but for some reason, it is only the regular dosa (and idli and paniyaram) that has found a place on my dining table. And then a day came, when there was no dosa batter in the fridge, and the kids demanded paniyarams for lunch. Not wanting to go out in the winter, I came up with the idea of rawa paniyarams.
Kids loved it so much, I am planning to follow up with rawa dosa this weekend.

1 measure rawa/ sooji

2 tbsp sour curds

Whey to make batter

Rock salt to taste 

1/2 onion chopped

Dhania patta

Oil


Method
 Mix the rawa, curds and whey into a smooth batter and keep aside for about 30 minutes.
Add rock salt, chopped onions and chopped dhania patta, and mix well.
Cook in a paniyaram pan till done.
Serve with coconut chutney or mint chutney, or green-coconut chutney

Whole wheat muffins

Dishing up something different for "lunch" everyday is the greatest challenge for someone of my limited culinary expertise. Left to me, I will probably give them dahi-chawal every day, but I know that if I try that stunt they will soon reach a stage where they will never again eat it. And to avoid that fate, I am forced to innovate.

1 measure whole wheat atta

1 medium cucumber grated
1/2 measure curds

Salt and pepper to taste

Olives for garnish

Mix all the ingredients (except the garnish) in a bowl, and beat a few times till frothy (it should be of the same consistency as idli batter- add water to make it thinner if required).
Grease the paniyaram pan with ghee, pour the batter into the moulds and let it cook on a low flame till well browned. Before turning it over, place the olives on top, and let the other side brown too.
Serve with dahi and/ or butter.

Green moong-zucchini muffins

Ever since the kids changed schools, and were put in the afternoon batch, my limited culinary skills have been stretched beyond what I thought possible. How on earth do think of something that is healthy, tasty, quick to make and easy to eat five days a week????

This was an experiment that I was quite satisfied with. To be honest, the younger one had to be force fed most of it, but what's new?

- three measures green moong, soaked overnight
- one measure tur dal soaked for an hour
- one zucchini
- green chilli
- half inch piece of ginger
- salt to taste
- grated cheese 
- white sesame seeds

Grind all the ingredients, with sufficient water, to a slightly coarse batter.
Half fill the greased paniyaram moulds, sprinkle a layer of cheese, then topped it up with batter. 
Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the muffins, just before turning them over.
Serve with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup

It takes longer for this to cook than normal paniyarams, but the wait is well worth it.

First dinner

Shifting to a new home is always stressful, doubly so when the workmen are still milling around, and the unexpected heavy rains are paralysing the city. The last thing in my mind has been food, but at some stage, I could take it no longer, and prepared lunch. 

Just paniyarams (made with store bought batter) and coconut chutney, but eating food cooked by you in your own house is a pleasure like few others.

Banana-wholewheat muffins

This started as something, but ended up as something quite different, so I can't figure out what to call it. But it tasted great and got finished off real fast, which is what really matters.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 soggy banana
1 tsp baking powder

Mash the banana till smooth and keep aside
Sift the dry ingredients together, then add the rest of the ingredients, and mix together. Keep aside for about 5 minutes
Grease a paniyaram plate, pour the batter till 3/4 covered, and cook on low heat till the edges start to pull away. Turn over, and cook the other side.
Keep aside till cool.
Give it a name that will appeal to the kids, and serve.

Paniyaram with vegetables

The kids wanted paniyaram, mom wanted them to have their veggies. This was the compromise.

Soak 2 measures boiled rice and 1 measure urad dal overnight, along with 1 tsp fenugreek seeds. Grind it smoothly, with minimal water, and let it ferment for 6 hours. The consistency should be thicker than for dosa batter (more like idli batter).
To the batter, add an appropriate quantity of steamed veggies chopped fine (I used carrots and beans because I had both, but you can experiment), or grated veggies (carrots would work fine), chopped dhania patta, and zeera powder and salt to taste.
Rub ghee on the paniyaram pan, pour the batter into the mould and allow it to cook on low heat. When they start to pull away from the edges, turn them around and allow it to cook further.
Serve hot.

Kara Paniyaram/ Savory Paniyaram

Day Two of my quest to feed the kids only home-made food. It was so successful, the kids want this one more time, throwing my careful menu planning into disarray

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Soak 2 measures boiled rice and 1 measure urad dal overnight, along with 1 tsp fenugreek seeds. Grind it smoothly, with minimal water, and let it ferment for 6 hours. The consistency should be thicker than for dosa batter (more like idli batter).
To the batter, add 2 crushed green chillis, 1/2 medium onion chopped fine, and a tadka of mustard seeds adn curry leaves.
Rub ghee on the paniyaram pan, pour the batter into the mould and allow it to cook on low heat. When they start to pull away from the edges, turn them around and allow it to cook further.
Serve hot.

Sweet Paniyaram

A nice easy dish that can be rustled up in a jiffy using paniyaram batter or even dosa batter. Giving the full recipe here.

2 measures boiled rice
1 measure urad dal
1 tsp fenugreek seeds

4 tbsp grated jaggery
1 tsp sesame seeds
ghee


Soak 2 measures boiled rice and 1 measure urad dal overnight, along with 1 tsp fenugreek seeds. 
Grind it smoothly, with minimal water, and let it ferment for 6 hours. 
The batter should be thicker than dosa batter. (upto this part, it is the same as the recipe for making normal paniyaram batter).
 
To the batter, add 4 tbsp grated jaggery and cardamom powder to taste.
Rub ghee on the paniyaram pan, pour the batter into the mould and allow it to cook on low heat.
Sprinkle roasted white til seeds on the top surface. When they start to pull away from the edges, turn them around and allow it to cook further.
Serve hot, ideally with butter, but can be had otherwise.