Well Shut My Mouth and Call Me Paniyaram

 Here are the results of our corn-sesame paniyaram/idli batter.  The batter did not quite ferment as I had hoped.  I think it was a bit dry and so just didn't have the oomph to rise.  Also, maybe needed more heat and time.  Anyway, I cheated a bit this morning and added a half teaspoon of baking powder to make sure they wouldn't turn out like hockey pucks.  They actually turned out pretty good.  A nice breakfast. Michael likes HushPuppies and Corn Bread.  So these were the Indian version of that.  The paniyaram do have a fritter-like feel to them.  They are not deep fried, but are cooked in just a bit of butter to give them a nice browning on the outside and to keep them from sticking.  I am still trying to figure how to turn them over.  You can see the one next to the handle did not quite make it all the way back into its little cup.  I am using a spoon and chopsticks and fingers to try to get them flipped.  I'll get it eventually.  As for the idli, they were a bit dense (really did need to get a better fermentation going) but still tasty.  We put in corn kernels and hot pepper flakes (a bit of a deviation from the recipe) and they had a nice Southern feel with Indian overtones. Michael ate them with maple syrup.  I ate mine with, get this, a sweet adzuki bean paste chutney.  I'll post about that another time.  Here is the recipe as we made it.

Corn-Sesame Idli/Paniyaram
adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine
1/4 cup semolina
1/4 cup Cream of Rice or Idli Rava
1/3 cup corn meal
2/3 cup urad flour
1 cup yoghurt or buttermilk
1 and 1/2 t salt
water to make a smooth batter like cake batter
1-2T sesame oil
1t cumin seeds
1t mustard seeds
1t or more if you like it spicy crushed red pepper flakes
3T sesame seeds
1T sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup of corn kernels (fresh or thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup of minced red bell pepper
(1/2 t baking powder if you are feeling insecure or your batter didn't rise as it should)

Toast the semolina in a pan until it starts to darken a few shades.  Let cool and mix with the remaining grains in a large bowl.  Add the yoghurt or buttermilk, salt, and enough water to make a smooth batter, like half-whipped cream or cake batter.  Cover and set in a warm place to ferment.  This can take as little as 12 hours or up to 36.  To speed things along, heat you oven to 180F and the turn it off.  Place the bowl in the oven and let it ferment in there.
When it has fermented, it well have almost doubled in bulk and will have cracks on the top and hopefully some bubbles.  Heat the oil in a pan and fry the cumin and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds start to pop.  Add in the crushed pepper and fry for 15 seconds and then add in the sesame seeds and sugar.  Cook until the seeds start to darken.  Let cool a few minutes and stir gently into the batter.  Stir in the corn kernels and/or the minced bell peppers.
Meanwhile heat up your paniyaram pan and when hot, place small dabs of butter or ghee in each cup.  Use a pastry brush to spread the butter around the cup and onto the rim to prevent sticking (I am using a cast iron pan, but they do sell non-stick).  Place a generous Tablespoon of batter in each cup and turn the heat to moderate/low.  Needs to be on the low side so the inside cooks while the outside gets lightly browned.  When the tops are dry, carefully turn them over.  Cook for a few more minutes til browned.
For idli, use the same batter, but put them in your idli stand and steam for 15 minutes.