Growing up in India, my mom used to ferment large quantities of batter so we could all enjoy crispy dosas! Oh, we enjoyed them so much. She would stuff the dosas with delicious Aloo (potato) Curry and serve it with either Sambar, Chutney Powder or different kinds of Chutneys. Every week brought a new masala dosa combination, depending on what was available in her pantry and what the local produce was. For the uninitiated, dosa is a kind of crepe, made with fermented lentils and rice.
However, all good things come to a brief end, especially as children. After a day or two, my sister and I would grow tired of repeatedly eating dosas. But of course, nothing went to waste at home. My resourceful mom would then convert the dosa batter into something super delicious called Ponganalu. I always looked forward to the souring of the dosa batter, and to the advent of these delicious bite-sized goodness.
Paniyaram Pans
My mother used a special pan called ‘Paniyaram‘ to make Ponganalu. It had indents to pour the batter into. She would add fresh ginger, green chili, cilantro etc. into the dosa batter. And out came deliciously savory, crispy cupcakes. Back in the day, they made paniyaram pans out of slate or cast iron. Nowadays, non-stick has become popular. Read my blog on why NOT to choose non-stick cookware here.
As I was researching for cook-safe paniyaram pans in the US, I came across the Aebleskiver pans. The Danish use them to make desserts similar to doughnut holes. What a small world! I use this to make my ponganalu.
Dosa Batter
Typically, ponganalu are made with left-over dosa batter, or sometimes even idli batter. While whole rice grains are used in dosas, idly rawa (coarse rice powder) is used in idlis. There is another variation to idli batter, where whole rice, specifically meant for this batter is used. It is called ‘ponni’ rice. For this ponganalu recipe however, I used our very own Multigrain Dosa Batter that has whole grains, brown rice and flax seeds. Yes, very nutritious!
Ponganalu – Savory Dosa Cupcakes
In general, cupcakes are sweet and spongy. I like to refer to ponganalu as cupcakes because of their shape and texture. The taste, however, is as different as night and day! Ponganalu are savory and best enjoyed with tomato chutney or peanut-coconut chutney. I like to add more vegetables to this batter, not just chili peppers and onions. I usually end up adding cabbage, carrots, spinach and cilantro. Now here’s the big difference from the traditional way of cooking this dish – I baked them in a muffin pan! I started this as an experiment, and they turned our perfect after a couple of attempts.
Dosa Batter is fermented – fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of fermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. In addition to this, we use multiple grains and flax seeds that enhance the nutritional value significantly.
Check out some of our delicious South Indian breakfast/snack dishes:
- Delicious Veggie Poha Upma
- Cracked Wheat Vegetable Upma
- Vermicelli Upma
- Pesarattu-Green Mung Crepe
- No Ferment Cabbage-Onion Dosa
- Vegetable Uthappam
- Plain & Veggie Multigrain Idli
- Multigrain Dosa
- Delicious Sooji Upma
- Cracked Wheat Vegetable Idli
- Uppudu Pindi – Mung & Rawa Upma
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Ponganalu - Savory Dosa Cupcakes
Ingredients
Multigrain Dosa Batter
- 1/4 Cup Urad Dal
- 1/4 Cup Brown Rice
- 2 Tablespoons Quinoa
- 2 Tablespoons Oats - Steel Cut
- 1 Tablespoon Flaxseeds - Ground or milled
- 1 Teaspoon Chana Dal
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Pinch Baking Soda
Ponganalu
- 1/4 Cup Carrots - Grated
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Cabbage - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro - Fine cut
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - Fine cut
- 1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil - Spray
Instructions
- Soak all batter ingredients overnight and blend to make batter. Click on this link for detailed instructions on batter: Multigrain Dosa Batter
- Add all the veggies and mix well.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray oil in the cups of the muffin tray and ensure the cups are evenly coated with oil. Pour batter into the cups and set inside the oven.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Spray some oil on top of the cupcakes when done. Bake for 8 more minutes and set oven to broil high for 5 minutes. You'll notice the top layer turn golden brown and crispy. Take tray out and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from oven with a butter knife. Serve hot with Tomato Chutney.
Thanks! Good idea!
You are very welcome!