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Paal paniyaram
Fried dumplings in sweet coconut milk
பால் பணியாரம்: little fried rice and urad dumplings soaked in sweet cardamom coconut milk (plus 3 hours soaking)
Paal paniyaram is the Chettinad wedding dessert served on the banana leaf at the end of a Karaikudi feast: small marble-sized dumplings of rice and urad are fried pale, dipped briefly in hot water to soften them, then left to soak in sweetened, cardamom-scented coconut milk. They are soft, spongy and cool, eaten with a spoon, chilled or at room temperature. A common mistake is frying until brown and crusty: the dumplings then refuse to soak up the milk. Fry them only until set and barely coloured. Chef's tip: the quick dip in hot water after frying washes off surface oil and opens them up to drink the coconut milk.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 5 ½ oz raw ricesoaked 3 hours
- 1 ¾ oz whole skinned urad dalsoaked 3 hours
- 1 pinch salt
For the coconut milk
- 2 cups thin coconut milk
- 3 ⅛ oz sugar
- 5 green cardamomseeds ground
- 2 cups hot waterfor dipping
For frying
- 2 ½ cups sunflower or groundnut oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 5 ½ oz raw rice and 1 ¾ oz whole skinned urad dal and grind with as little water as possible, about 4–5 tbsp, into a thick, smooth batter that holds a soft peak. Stir in 1 pinch salt.
12 minStep 2: Warm 2 cups thin coconut milk with 3 ⅛ oz sugar over low heat just until the sugar dissolves (do not boil or it may split), add 5 green cardamom and pour into a wide dish to cool.
5 minStep 3: Heat 2 ½ cups sunflower or groundnut oil in a heavy kadai, filled no more than a third deep, to 325°F, or until a drop of batter floats up at once with gentle bubbles. Stay by the stove.
6 minStep 4: Drop small marbles of batter from a teaspoon or your fingertips into the oil, about 12 at a time. Fry for 2 minutes, turning, until puffed, firm and only pale cream in colour.
15 minStep 5: Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drop straight into a bowl of 2 cups hot water for 30 seconds, then squeeze each very gently and put it into the coconut milk.
6 minStep 6: Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes until soft and swollen right through. Serve at room temperature or chilled within the day.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does paal paniyaram take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of thin coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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