Paniyarams have always been my most favorite appetizer at any South- Indian Restaurant. I wanted to create a healthier version which is packed with protein and fiber. Ask me why! My very dear hardcore non-vegetarian husband watched The Game Changer Show on Netflix. And it completely messed with his head. The show somehow convinced him that animal protein is bad for his health. I have been very practical. I believe anything eaten in moderation is fine. So, I suggested him to stick to plant based protein one meal a day, and he can have lean meat in the other meal.
I created this recipe, with lot of research online, youtube videos and hence came up with my own version. This recipe is packed with plant based protein, I use several types of lentils and legumes to make this recipe. I used beetroots to give color to these paniyarams, but you can get creative and add more veggies, or add spinach puree to give them gorgeous green color. Oh! and before I forget , it is Husband Approved. If you are looking for healthy options to make your food more nutritious, this is the recipe you are looking for.
Why are these called Adai Paniyarams?
Adai is a famous South- Indian savory pancake which is made of mix of different lentils. As these adai paniyarams are adapted from the idea of the savory lentil pancakes and given a form of South Indian Style Falafels.
Are these Paniyarams Vegan and Gluten-Free?
Yes, these South Indian Style Falafels are indeed vegan and gluten-free. These are packed with plant based protein and fiber hence they are very healthy and nutritious.
Step - By -Step Recipe to make Beetroot Adai Paniyarams.
- Measure and prepare the mix of rice, lentils and legumes in a bowl. Wash and rinse the mix thoroughly. It will take you up to 6-7 times of washing to get clear water.
- Soak the mix in water for 5-6 hours.
- After 5-6 hours, grind the mixture in a powerful grinder. Transfer the mix with the water in the grinder jar. Pulse on high to start forming the ground batter.Add water if required, but add little at a time. You want the batter to look like Idli Batter consistency. Pour the batter in a big bowl.
- Once the batter is ready, in a heavy bottom pan roast rave/semolina until a nice earthy aroma starts to come and it starts to look slightly golden.
- Add the roasted rava , onions , minced garlic & ginger , green chillies , cilantro, finely chopped onions and curry leaves to the batter. Mix well.
- Now make beetroot puree or add shredded beetroot. To make beetroot puree, peel the beetroot. Roughly give it a chop. Pulse it in a blender and ready. Use little water if required. Add it to the batter.
To Make the Adai Paniyarams :
- Start the stove on a medium flame, add about ½ teaspoon oil in each dumpling mold of the Paniyarams / Appe Pan.
- To make the Paniyarams, use another small bowl, and pour a part of batter in it. Add a pinch of Baking Soda and Salt to taste. Mix well. Fill the dumpling pan as shown in the picture with a spoon. Cover and let it cook for a minute or two.
- Using a skewer or a spoon flip the paniyarams and let them cook on the other side. No need to cover the pan at this time.
- Once ready serve them, Onion Chutney, Peanut Chutney and Chutney Podi
I use VegRecipesOfIndia recipes for both the chutneys. I will link the chutneys down below. And I will also leave a link for my chutney podi recipe.
Link Onion Chutney
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/onion-chutney-recipe/
Link to Peanut Chutney
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/peanut-chutney/
Link to Chutney Podi
Beetroot Adai Paniyarams
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Equipment
- Paniyaram / Appe pan
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Brown Rice
- ¼ Cup Rice
- 2 tablespoon Tuver Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas)
- 2 tablespoon Yellow Split Moong Dal
- 2 tablespoon Chana Dal
- 2 tablespoon Split Urad Dal
- 2 Tbsp Whole Black Urad Dal
- 2 tablespoon Rajma (Red Kidney Beans)
- 2 tablespoon Black Eyed Peas
- 2 tablespoon Quinoa
- 2 Tbsp Green Moong
- 3 Cups Water For Soaking
- ¾ Cup Rava/ Semolina
- 1 Medium Beetroot Shredded or Pureed
- Salt to taste Add as per the instruction in the recipe steps below.
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda (optional) I would strongly advise to use baking soda in this recipe as it breaks the cellular structure of all the lentils we have used and cook them thoroughly and make them soft from the inside. Again add it as per the recipe steps below.
- 1 Medium Onion Finely Chopped
- ½ Cup Cilantro Chopped and fully packed ½ Cup
- 3-4 Indian / Thai Green Chillies Finely Chopped
- 5-6 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 2 inches Freshly Grated Ginger
- 7-8 Fresh Curry Leaves
- 7-8 tablespoon Oil For shallow frying the paniyarams.
Instructions
- Measure and prepare the mix of rice, lentils and legumes in a bowl. Wash and rinse the mix thoroughly. It will take you up to 6-7 times of washing to get clear water.Soak the mix in water for 5-6 hours.
- After 5-6 hours, grind the mixture in a powerful grinder. Transfer the mix with the water in the grinder jar. Pulse on high to start forming the ground batter.Add water if required, but add little at a time. You want the batter to look like Idli Batter consistency. Pour the batter in a big bowl.
- Once the batter is ready, in a heavy bottom pan roast rave/semolina until a nice earthy aroma starts to come and it starts to look slightly golden.
- Add the roasted rava , onions , minced garlic & ginger , green chillies , cilantro, finely chopped onions and curry leaves to the batter. Mix well.
- Now make beetroot puree or add shredded beetroot. To make beetroot puree, peel the beetroot. Roughly give it a chop. Pulse it in a blender and ready. Use little water if required. Add it to the batter.
To Make the Adai Paniyarams
- Start the stove on a medium flame, add about ½ teaspoon oil in each dumpling mold of the Paniyarams / Appe Pan.
- To make the Paniyarams, use another small bowl, and pour a part of batter in it. Add a pinch of Baking Soda and Salt to taste. Mix well.
- Fill the dumpling pan as shown in the picture with a spoon. Cover and let it cook for a minute or two.
- Using a skewer or a spoon flip the paniyarams and let them cook on the other side for a minute on medium flame. No need to cover the pan at this time.
- Once ready serve them, Onion Chutney, Peanut Chutney and Chutney Podi
Notes
- Grind the batter with the same water as soaked in.
- The Batter should look similar to the idli batter consistency, so don't add a lot of water. Be very careful while adding the water.
- Add baking soda and salt for every batch separately as instructed in the recipe steps.
- The paniyarams if cooked on high flame can easily burn up so, be attentive while making them. After all , you don't want burnt paniyarams.
https://thewhiskaddict.com/2018/10/13/chutney-podi-spiced-lentil-powder/?v=7516fd43adaa
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