South Indian Breakfast: Paddu

Ingredients:

3cups    Uncooked rice

1cup      Urad dal(black gram)-(optional)

1/4cup  Chana dal(Bengal gram) -(optional)

1/4cup  Moong dal(split green gram)- (optional)

4-5          Methi seeds

1cup      cooked rice/flattened rice

2pinch’ Baking soda

Salt to taste

For seasoning

2              finely chopped onions

5              finely chopped green chillies

1/4tsp   Mustard seeds

1/4tsp   cumin seeds

1/4tsp   chana dal

1/4tsp   urad dal

5              curry leaves

1tbsp     Cooking Oil.

Soak raw rice in a bowl, and also soak urad dal, chana dal, moong dal, methi seeds in a bowl for about 3hrs minimum.

 After soaking, grind dal and rice for smooth consistency by adding water. Mix well. Grind cooked rice or soaked flattened rice and add to the batter. Add salt and soda(optional). Keep it overnight for fermentation.

Next morning, check if the batter is fermented. Add seasoning to this batter. For seasoning, heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds, cumin. Wait till the mustards seeds sputter. Add chana dal, urad dal, chopped onions, chillies, curry leaves. Wait till onions turn to brown. Turn off the flame and add this seasoning to the fermented batter and mix well.

Now heat paddu pan, and add little oil. Pour the batter in paddu pan and close the lid for about 2-3mins. 

Check if the paddu is fried at one side. When it is fried from one side, turn & cook on other side. 

Now take out the paddus and serve hot with coconut chutney/chutney powder.

 Tips:

• Buy a non-stick paddu tava for best results.
• If you don’t have much time to soak the rice and dal, use warm water to soak the ingredients and soak for 1hr.
• If the batter is not fermented, add sour buttermilk(1/4 cup) and keep it for 30mins. This will give same taste as the fermented one.
• The paddus will taste better if the batter is more fermented.