Feta Paniyaram Mini Rice Lentil Pancakes Indian Appetizers

This is a batter recipe for South Indian Paniyaram with just a touch of Greek flavour. If feta isn’t your thing, feel free to experiment with your own add-ins. Indeed, this is a choose your own adventure recipe. Inside these little balls of fermented lentils and rice is a spongy texture and blank canvas for any flavours you might like to add.

What are Paniyaram?

Paniyaram, also known as kuzhi paniyaram in Tamil Nadu, are mini ball-shaped crisp pancakes made with fermented urad dal and rice batter. They’re a traditional South Indian cuisine, popular for breakfast or as a snack. The poha (flattened rice) in this helps to keep the paniyaram soft and squidgy. However, if you don’t have poha, you can also add the same measure of cooked, cold rice.

Flavours and variations

Add pre-cooked chopped mixed vegetables like carrots, peas, green beans, peppers, corn or broccoli. A touch of blended spinach will add a vibrant green colour. A mashed banana and touch of cinnamon make for delicious sweet Paniyaram.

How to serve Paniyaram

As we know, Paniyaram can be made in both sweet and savoury variations. The savoury version is typically eaten with a spicy chutney, sambar, pickle, or even with different kinds of podi (a South Indian spice powder). I like to make a paste of podi and ghee for dipping. Delicious! The sweet version is often enjoyed with grated coconut and jaggery (unrefined cane sugar). Most sources point to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as the birthplace of paniyaram. The name itself comes from Tamil, with ‘kuzhi’ meaning ‘hole’ referring to the mold the batter is cooked in. Paniyaram has many names across South India, like ‘paddu’ in Kannada, ‘guliyappa’ and ‘ponganalu’ in Telugu, and ‘appe’ in Marathi. This variety suggests a long history of being enjoyed in different regions.

Which pan is best for making Paniyaram?

Paniyaram is cooked in a special pan called a paniyaram chatti or appe pan. This pan has a round base with several hemispherical cavities. All you need to do is pour the batter into the cavities and cook until golden brown and crispy on the outside. The pan is almost identical to those used to make Poffertjes (yeasted Dutch batter cakes), Aebleskiver (Danish pancake balls), Takoyaki (Japanese octopus snacks), Khanom Krok (Thai coconut snack) and Vitumbua (Tanzanian coconut doughnuts). Any pan suitable for making the dishes mentioned above will suffice for making Indian Paniyaram.

Do Paniyaram freeze well?

Paniyaram freeze very well but when you reheat them, steam from frozen for a few minutes, and then pan fry over a high heat. By reheating this way, they won’t dry out.