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Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Ponganalu (Gunta Pongadalu)

Raayalaseema, Konaseema and Telengaana, these are the three regions in Andhra Pradesh, my home state.

Each region has its own way of cooking things and special recipes. In case of breakfast/brunch worth getting up early for, ‘Konaseema’ is famous for their ‘Pesarattuupmacombination (beautifully put together by Sailu). I’m not that familiar with ‘Telengaana’ cuisine and ‘Raayalaseema’, where I’m from, has few special breakfast dishes unique to our region. One is “buggani” – prepared with puffed rice(murmura), I blogged already, and the other is “ponganalu” – rice lentil batter is seasoned with shallots, green chillies etc., then cooked in round impressions in an iron skillet until golden. These small pretty, dome shaped rounds are usually served with peanut chutney or coconut chutney.

In our homes, whenever relatives from other regions of Andhra or from other states visit us for holidays, out comes the “ponganala Pennam”(ponganala skillet). Round, golden colored ponganalu, hot off from the skillet, always elicits oohh… aahh… from our relatives and from their weird offspring (are there any other kind? :)). Because they are unique to our region, preparing them is our showoff kind of thing, to out of staters who were related to us by marriages etc.,:)

Preparing ponganalu, it’s all in the skillet. Right kind of skillet delivers or breaks a ‘ponganam’. Nothing can beat an old world style, well seasoned iron skillet. They are the best and the place where you can buy is of course India. I’ve seen some non-stick skillets here in US in some Indian shops lately. They are also fine, if you don’t mind the non-stick coating.

Recipe:
For 3 to 4 batches of Ponganalu

Ponganala batter:
1 cup rice
½ cup urad dal

Soak them in water for about 6 hours. Drain (reserve the water) and grind them into smooth batter adding just enough water (add the reserve one, we kept aside). The consistency of the batter must be thick like idli batter or like condensed milk (commercial kind). Take the batter into a big vessel, cover and let it sit overnight for fermentation.
Sour and leftover dosa batter is perfect to prepare ponganalu. If you have some, try ponganalu with it, for a change.

Ingredients to prepare ponganalu

Seasoning (Add to the overnight fermented batter):
1 big red onion or 6 shallots – finely chopped
(Because we mix them in the batter raw, avoid yellow onion for its smell & awful rawtaste)
4 green chillies – finely chopped
Few springs of cilantro – finely chopped
A fistful of chana dal (soaked overnight)
1 teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of turmeric and salt
Add all these ingredients to the batter and mix thoroughly.
Also prepare peanut or coconut chutney.

Cooking: Place the ponganala skillet on medium heat. Add few drops of peanut oil into each impression. With a spoon or with a piece of paper towel, rub oil around, to season the skillet. When the skillet is hot and ready, proceed like this, following the images.


Pour a ladleful of batter into each impression.


Once all impressions are filled, cover the skillet with a lid and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes undisturbed.


Remove the lid; The batter will be set by now. Gently lift the ponganalu with a “ponganala lifter” or with a spoon. If properly cooked, they should come out easily without sticking to the skillet. If not, cook them for few more minutes.


Turn each one to opposite side to cook.


Cook them another 5 minutes on medium heat undisturbed. Gently lift them from out of the skillet. When properly cooked they should come out easily without sticking to the skillet. If not, cook them for few more minutes. Remove them all onto a plate. Season the skillet with oil, again repeat the steps to cook another batch. Medium heat is the key.(Cooking them on high heat in a hurry or on too low heat won’t work- usually the outcome will be messy ponganalu.)


Ponganalu with peanut chutney – Breakfast worth getting up early for.

Recipe Source & Origin: Amma and Rayalaseema (Andhra, India)
Also checkout ‘Ponganalu’ by Santhi, friendly, fellow Raayalaseema vaasi.

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Sona Masuri Rice,Urad Dal (Washed) (Monday March 20, 2006 at 9:08 am- permalink)
Comments (81)

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81 comments for Ponganalu (Gunta Pongadalu) »

  1. Just superb!

    Comment by Madhavi — March 20, 2006 @ 9:12 am

  2. Thanks, Madhavi.

    Comment by Indira — March 20, 2006 @ 9:20 am

  3. Oooh..these look very sexy:) My ammamma used to make this..we call them “KuzhiAppam” in tamil. There’s also a sweet version which I used to detest:) that is called “Suyyam” in tamil. Amazing how the things I used to consider somewhat uncool are things I crave for and have lots of respect for now. Time to ask mom to send me a I kuzhiappam maker:)

    Droolworthy pics as usual.

    Indira replies:
    Food blogging is a real learning experience for me. I thought we were the only ones, who prepare this kind of breakfast until last year. 🙂 Kuzhi paniyaram, kuzhi appam, Suyyam – I’ve bookmarked the recipes from other food bloggers, to try.
    Thanks Janani.
    Could you please include email address with your comment (I’ve a favor to ask:)), thanks.

    Comment by Janani — March 20, 2006 @ 9:38 am

  4. indira, we do it the same way except for the turmeric. But these golden little ones look really yum . I just loved ur collection of jaadi’s , reminds me of my grandmothers kitchen, full of these jaadi for pickles , for storage , for oil , almost everything possible. And the skillet collection is good too. i liked the one that u have for sorgham roti, i have never seen how a sorgham roti b4 , is it andhra speciality.I have just 2 skillets, but both the same kind.
    And the pictures look awesome as usual. and the walnut laddu picture on top .. IS NOT FAIR . Just a pic, i wish it pops out of the window and falls right to my mouth MM MMMmmm.. Anyways keeps reminding me to hurry up and by those ingredients and try the recipe asap.

    Indira replies:
    Believe it or not, I had the same reaction to that photo of Laddu. 🙂 After posting that picture I went through some serious sweet cravings last weekend. I had to prepare another sweet for myself because of the cravings. 🙂 With ‘newyear’ festival around the corner, I thought it’d be appropriate to post a sweet photo, on the sidebar.:)
    Just like ‘ponganalu’, I thought we are the only ones who prepare sorghum roti. But I’ve seen the recipe popup on other Indian food bloggers site. Learning new things everyday.:) We, in our home, prepare sorghum roti for breakfast or for dinner, its usually served with curries and dal. A very hearty, bone building kind of meal.
    About Jaadi and Pennams – thought I’d include them in my “Indian Kitchen” series.:)

    Comment by priya,ar — March 20, 2006 @ 9:43 am

  5. Indira, eroju ma breakfast gunta ponganalu, same procedure even we too follow.Chala bavunayi pictures.

    Indira replies:
    Manamiddaramu maata laada kundane, okate vanta chesaamu annamata.:)
    Thanks!

    Comment by Lakshmi — March 20, 2006 @ 10:18 am

  6. Oh, Indira…I’m so sorry you missed it! The ponganalu look *divine*.

    Indira replies:
    I felt bad for missing your event, Stephanie. Sometimes I read/remember dates wrong.:)
    Thank you.

    Comment by Stephanie — March 20, 2006 @ 10:44 am

  7. Indira,
    love to read about the regional differences in cooking, fantastic! Oh I just made your cauliflower & potato curry yestersday, your recipe never disappoints me. Big thanks to you!

    Indira replies:
    You are welcome, Gattina.
    I’m glad the recipe turned out good.

    Comment by gattina — March 20, 2006 @ 10:47 am

  8. That looks delicious, Indira. You have the neatest gadgets, right for each task. I love the ponganalu lifter! This is a really unique breakfast dish!

    Indira replies:
    I accumulated them slowly over the years, one by one. That ponganala lifter is the latest gadget kind of thing in Nandyala, purchased it during my last year trip to India.

    Comment by Garam Masala — March 20, 2006 @ 10:52 am

  9. Indira:

    I have the non-stick kind :-p but I agree nothing beats the good ol’ cast iron. I am from Telangana but I grew up on gunta ponganalu all my life. But none of my relatives are familiar with it. It is something that my mom picked up early on from her friends (may be from Rayalaseema descent), I think. But I am so glad to know that the origin is Rayalaseema.

    Indira replies:
    Finally someone I can ask questions about Telegaana cuisine.:)

    Comment by Luv2cook — March 20, 2006 @ 11:10 am

  10. Indira, as usual fantastic pictures and fabulous post!! We call these “paniyaram” and I love the sweet version with jaggery too.

    and yes, that walnut laddoo is driving me crazy!!

    Indira replies:
    Thanks, SF.
    I’d love to see you blog about sweet version. I’m going to wait for your version, then attempt it.:)

    Comment by Saffron Hut — March 20, 2006 @ 12:09 pm

  11. Love that “ponganalu” I am being from bangalore , we also grew up on this, thanks for sharing the receipe. Do you have or any guys have any idea where do we get this ponganala skillet anywhere here in USA , i haven’t seen them even in Indian Stores

    Thanks

    Shoba

    Indira replies:
    You got some replies to your query, thanks to the other commentators. Checkout other comments, Shoba.

    Comment by Shoba — March 20, 2006 @ 12:13 pm

  12. Hi Indira:

    just sent you my email add.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Janani.

    Comment by janani — March 20, 2006 @ 12:20 pm

  13. hi indira,
    good job. Thanks for the recipe.
    What camera are you using?
    You are a good cook.
    🙂
    Thanks and Regards,
    madhu

    Indira replies:
    Thanks! It’s Nikon D70s

    Comment by madhu — March 20, 2006 @ 12:54 pm

  14. Hi Indira,
    Great pictures! We make these in Maharashtra too. We call them ‘Appe’ and the special skillet ‘Appe-paatra’. I haven’t got mine along to Germany because it can’t be used here; the kitchens are usually equipped with flat hot plates. 🙁

    Indira replies:
    This I didn’t know before, thanks for sharing.
    Flat hot plates huh… that’s a bummer.

    Comment by Vaishali — March 20, 2006 @ 1:05 pm

  15. Thanks for linking me here Indira.
    Beautiful pictures.
    I have been looking for a cast iron ponganala penam from last week. Found one on target’s website. Its called an aebleskiver pan.

    Indira replies:
    You are welcome, Santhi.
    Thanks for sharing the info about the pan.

    Comment by santhi — March 20, 2006 @ 1:11 pm

  16. Hi Indira ,
    These look yummy!Do they have a similar taste to vadas? Do you think it is possible to use this type of pan on an electric stove with good results? I might request my sister-in-law to send me this type of pan if you think it might work.
    Thanks
    Pauline

    Indira replies:
    Hi Pauline, they taste more like steam-cooked unlike ‘vadas'(which are deep fried in oil). I’ve used my skillet on electric stoves before, the results were just fine. Get it, they are really fun kind of food. If you don’t like savory versions, you can prepare sweet Tamil version or Dutch round balls made of pancake flour. 🙂

    Comment by Pauline — March 20, 2006 @ 1:15 pm

  17. Hi,
    Those looks pretty. I am from west of tamilnadu. We also prepare the same thing which we call ‘paniyaram’. Yes those are wonderful with coconut or kadala chutney . my mouth waters..definalty today our dinner would be paniyaram. I do have non stick as well as indolium pans. both are great. by the way we use dosai batter to make paniyarams.

    ur blog is so good.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Kavitha. Indolium pans… I totally forgot about them, they are also good looking, aren’t they?:)
    We also make these with leftover dosa batter usually just like you.

    Comment by Kavitha Senthil — March 20, 2006 @ 1:19 pm

  18. Indira,

    Those ponganalu look really great! Thanks for the great recipe. I dont have the ponganala skillet and there is no way i can get one now from india..so i just checked online to see if any american stores sell it…i found something..check this out..

    Type in “Lodge Pro-Logic Cast-Iron Aebleskiver Pan”– in http://www.amazon.com

    Just wanted to take ur expert opinion before buying it. Do u think i can make ponganas with this? Please let me know.

    And yeah…ur walnut laddu sure is killing me . cant wait to make them myself and relish..!!
    Thanks for everything.

    Indira replies:
    vallika, I checked the link you posted. They suit our purpose, buy it. Price is also reasonable, not a bad deal. Thumbsup! 🙂
    Thanks for posting the link here.

    Comment by Vallika — March 20, 2006 @ 1:31 pm

  19. Make this all the time with leftover dosa batter. My kids love this. I have the non-stick skillet. Does the job but as you have mentioned nothing to beat the cast-iron skillets from India.

    Indira replies:
    Yep, kids love this breakfast, they are really fun kind of food, aren’t they?

    Comment by Krithika Ramachandran — March 20, 2006 @ 1:53 pm

  20. Great pics and mouth-watering recipe (as usual:-)). I have always had versions of this appam, fried in oil in the same pan you have used. So I never considered it very healthy. But your recipe seems very healthy for a weekly meal. Must try this with leftover idli batter.

    Ponganalu- is it always toasted in so little oil or have you made it healthier?

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Mika.
    Happy anniversary to “Green Jackfruit”! yay!:)
    I know what you are talking about, back at home they are almost like shallow fried in oil.
    You noticed. 🙂 I use less oil , so that eating them would be guiltfree and healthy. Less oil, covering the skillet and steam cooking – the results turnout exactly like the ones made with lots of oil.

    Comment by mika — March 20, 2006 @ 2:22 pm

  21. Chaala manchi post..Pongadalu meeda ,Indira.As usual the pictures are excellent.
    Btw,thanks for the mention..:)

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Sailu!
    Mee Pesarattu post chaala bangundi, chusi nappudalla notilona neeru uruthundi.:)

    Comment by sailaja — March 20, 2006 @ 2:23 pm

  22. Indira,

    Where did you find the ponganala lifter? I am more curious about the lifter. What is it?

    Thanks,
    japser

    Indira replies:
    It’s the latest gadget for sale in our town, Nandyala – specifically designed and used for ponganalu. It’s a steel rod with small sharp edged spatula kind of thing at the end. Makes really easy to lift and turn the ponganalu.

    Comment by jasper — March 20, 2006 @ 2:31 pm

  23. Looks really really yummy Indira..!!I love these kind of traditional dishes..But no way to prepare as i don’t have that skillet..Will surely get it on my next visit..:))

    Indira replies:
    thanks Annita.

    Comment by Annita — March 20, 2006 @ 2:49 pm

  24. Hi Indira,

    Just found your blog, it’s great!! I immediately installed it as my internet starting page. I live in the Netherlands (= reason for grammar mistakes?). I am a big fan of India for food, culture, menhdi, movies etc. I am going there for the first time this autumn with my boyfriend whose origins lie in Goa. One of my biggest hobbies is cooking. It is really hard to find home cooking recipes in cookbooks. That is why I like your site so much. I do want to thank you for sharing your recipes with us all. Some people want to keep it secretly to themselves. I have learned a lot already, about the sugar melting stages e.g.

    My origins lie partly in Suriname. When I was there two years ago for the firs time, I experienced an awkward funny situation. (As you might already know there are a lot of Indian people living in Suriname). I participated with a group of Dutch students who went to Suriname to do some research together with Suriname students. One of the students named Mehender invited me and to other girls to a religious feast in a temple. So we found a taxi and asked if he could drive us to this particular temple. After some hesitation he decided to bring us there. After 30 min. we where not sure were he was taking us. Finally we stopped at a temple. The name of the temple sounded much alike, so we went in. Hundreds of people where celebrating. So we felt a bit ashamed. Everybody was looking at us and probably thought: what they are doing here… We explained we where invited by a student named Mehender. So, some people went of to find Mehender. After a while, an elder man came to us and told us he was Mehender. Then it was clear to us: we where at the wrong temple!! We wanted to make apologies and leave, but everybody insisted we staid and eat!!! So generous, so sweet! This was something I will never forget. The real Mehender laughed the next day when he heard our story.

    Much of the sweets they gave us looked like the sweets on your site. I am definitely going to cook them all! I am also going to try these wonderful looking ponganalu in my Dutch “poffertjespan”. Hope it works…

    Indira replies:
    Hi Lucienne, thanks for your nice words about my blog. I greatly appreciate them.
    One thing about Indians is they are not rude people…. that’s for sure. 🙂 Interesting to read about your experience at Suriname temple.
    Good luck with the India trip and please stay in touch.
    Thanks!

    Comment by Lucienne — March 20, 2006 @ 3:01 pm

  25. I meant: what are they doing here… instead of what they are doing here…

    Comment by Lucienne — March 20, 2006 @ 3:05 pm

  26. I am from Karnataka and we call it as “guntapongal”.They are fabulous.I have a non-stick one with me and found cast-iron ones in target .Please see the link http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-2/qid=1142889893/ref=sr_1_2/601-1405618-4327358?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B000810A3S

    Indira replies:
    It looks exactly like our type of pan. Thanks for the link, Celeste.

    Comment by Celeste — March 20, 2006 @ 4:27 pm

  27. Hi Indira,

    Once again you proved that you r the best! Well your pictures not only look gr8 but your recipes tastes wonderful. Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe.

    Indira replies:
    You are too kind with your compliments, Radha.:) thanks!

    Comment by radha — March 20, 2006 @ 6:08 pm

  28. Your recipe sounds great, your pictures are wonderful and best of all, your blog’s educational. Thanks!

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Beau Lotus

    Comment by beau lotus — March 20, 2006 @ 7:09 pm

  29. Hi Indira
    A quick question. what are u using to remove the Ponganalu from the pan? and where did u find them.. the struggles to overturn the ponganalu in the pan are better left unsaid 🙂

    The site is wonderful.. and the snaps are fabulous.. makes my mouth water everytime i look at it 🙂
    Regards, Rashmi

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Rashmi.
    “Ponganala Lifter” – It’s the latest gadget for sale in our town, Nandyala, bought during my last year trip to India – specifically designed and used for ponganalu. It’s a steel rod with small sharp edged spatula kind of thing at the end. Makes really easy to lift and turn the ponganalu.

    Comment by Anonymous — March 20, 2006 @ 8:00 pm

  30. I think I am skillet-impaired.
    you are making me hungry, and I dont have the means to make any.
    hmmph.

    Indira replies:
    Come on over, Sam for a lovely breakfast. You are always welcome. 🙂

    Comment by sam — March 20, 2006 @ 9:39 pm

  31. My mom makes this in a kadai, one by one – we call them “ilupachatti” (Tamil for wok!) dosai and me & my siblings always squabbled as to who would get the next one! 🙂 We should have been called squabblings, actually 😉

    Indira replies:
    Me and my sisters were also like that, fighting over who gets the first batch. 🙂

    Comment by Shammi — March 21, 2006 @ 6:56 am

  32. Hi Indira

    First time to ur wonderful site! Hats off to you for the lovely way u’ve done it up! I just love ur elaborate explanation even about the minute details….The pictures that go along are mind blowing! I wish I were ur near ur place so that I could join u for every meal!!!:P

    Cheers!

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Sangeeta.

    Comment by Sangeeta — March 21, 2006 @ 8:50 am

  33. Very delicious looking. I love the sweet version of kuzhi paniyaram.

    Indira replies:
    I’ve yet to try the sweet version, Pushpa, sounds really yummy.

    Comment by Puspha — March 21, 2006 @ 10:01 am

  34. Ah! Paniayaram! 🙂 Indira! you know how to make people drool, don’t you?

    Last time I was in India, I had to buy a paniayaram chatti that would go on my electric stovetop, so I had no other choice other than buying a nonstick one which had flat bottom. And I thought buying the smallest one would yield cutest baby paniyarams! Little did I know the time needed to make enough paniyarams for 2 people was way too much. Now that I’m getting rid of nonstick stuff, this has to go, too! Luckily my mom or MIL will be coming sometime soon in the next 6-8 months, so I’m bound to have a nice cast iron paniyaram pan soon!

    Btw, we dont cover it with a lid, and as soon as the bottom sets, we turn it over, so the uncooked batter in the paniyaram goes to the bottom and fills the bottom. This gives a nice round to the paniyaram and it looks like a ball. The shape of yours look interesting! Will try making it the next time I make.

    Indira replies:
    To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect this much reaction from people for this post on ponganalu. 🙂
    I know how to cook like you mentioned.:) I agree, mine are cooked little bit differently. Covering and steam cooking are done to avoid the excessive oil use. That’s why mine turned out to be, spaceship kind of saucers, instead of a perfect golfball kind of rounds. 🙂

    Comment by Kay — March 21, 2006 @ 10:08 am

  35. Hi Indira,
    I’ve begun to visit your site on a regular basis now. Like everyone else, I think your pics are awesome. definitely going to try that walnut laddoo, or else I’ll go nuts:).

    btw, is there any other vessel/any other shape I can make this ponganalu in , since I dont have that skillet, and given my procrastinating habit, might be a while before I buy it?

    Thanks again
    Jyo

    Indira replies:
    I’ve no idea, Jyo. The only other thing I cook with this batter is – thick dosas(Utappams).

    Comment by Jyo — March 21, 2006 @ 10:44 am

  36. WoW!!!!!!WoW!!!Pictures make me drool…..Hats off to u!!Great job!!Well as Kay said our paniyarams are more like round balls bcoz we leave it uncovered.We call them “guntapongalam”.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks BDSN!

    Comment by BDSN — March 21, 2006 @ 10:49 am

  37. I make a slightly different version of this, without the chana dal and turmeric. It’s just delicious. We call it Paddu (in Karnataka).

    Indira replies:
    Thanks for sharing your version, Anu.

    Comment by Anu — March 21, 2006 @ 2:00 pm

  38. Hi indira,

    The pics made me very hungry.Iam on a strict diet from sterday and i think after seeing ur recipe with pics i am going to break my diet.It makes my mouth water.Thanks for sharing ur recipes.
    Really great of u.
    As u are an expert cook i want some favour from u.Can u please share with me some crockpot recipes if u know any?.Please…….

    thanks in advance from
    kals

    Comment by kals — March 21, 2006 @ 4:27 pm

  39. Indira: Cool blog on “Kuzhi Paniyaram – in Tamil”. You have presented in a cool way even who is new to cooking can understand. Wow to those pictures :)It is one of the yummiest dishes we make quite in have guests (North Indians or Americans). We make them in two version, sweet and spicy.
    Sweet: Prepare jaggery syrup with a piece of dried ginger to slightly thick consistency. Pour the whole contents in batter. Mix, prepare those yummy ones.
    Spicy: Similar to your version, adding chopped coconut bits,red chillies and curry leaves.
    Thanks for bringing those memories back home 🙂

    Comment by Karthi Kannan — March 21, 2006 @ 5:12 pm

  40. These look wonderful! The first thing I thought of was, “Something xotic to make in my aebleskiver pan!” An aebleskiver is a round Danish pancake made in a special cast iron pan (they also make nonstick ones now) with depressions just like your pan. A friend sent me one from California. So, if you can’t find a ponganala skillet, you could order an aebleskiver pan from:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00063RXQA/104-7507847-7515928?v=glance&n=284507
    or any number of other sites (google it). I can’t wait to try these!

    Comment by Bryanna — March 21, 2006 @ 5:38 pm

  41. hi

    is chana dal, kadala paruppu ? or the other one that is used for making chole?

    Comment by Blogeswari — March 22, 2006 @ 2:25 am

  42. Super recipe

    Comment by MCM — March 22, 2006 @ 8:22 am

  43. I was just showing this to hubby and we were thinking it looks beautiful like spacecrafts! and that we should try making it that way. 🙂

    I didnt realise covering the pan, would also decrease the oil used… Thanks for pointing that out, Indira!

    Comment by Kay — March 22, 2006 @ 10:29 am

  44. Indira,
    Eversince i got back to work from my maternity leave..I kind of check you site every now and then(apart from mentioning it to every collegue of mine who likes indian food).. my mom had gotten this guntha ponganalu pan and I had tried a month back for my MIL(who is from costal andhra and never heard of these) and she LOVED them.. that reminded me to ask you to blog this as this is authentic rayalaseema stuff..but never got to sit down and write it.. well today as usual i was talking to a collegue and she wated Puffed rice recipe.. so I logged into your website to send the link and whola! I saw this.. I should say.. Thanks to you! I’ve gotten more enthu in cooking and dare to try new stuff…

    As always.. great pictures and you are the best!

    Aparna

    Indira replies:
    That’s very sweet of you to say all these nice things about my blog. Thanks Aparna, I appreciate it.

    Comment by aparna — March 24, 2006 @ 1:39 pm

  45. Hi,
    My 4 yr old saw ur fotos and begged me to make these – He thinks they look like Venus 😉 . We call these paniyaram, the primary difference is probably the addition of coconut pieces to the idli batter..
    Great Job with ur site! How do u find the time and energy?

    Indira replies:
    He is a good boy, then. 🙂
    Thanks Kpks. I’ve an addictive personality. 🙂
    I’ve checked your site, its really an interesting read, because we are also planning to move back home in few years.

    Comment by kpks — March 27, 2006 @ 10:54 pm

  46. Ponganalu

    Indian people will likely get a giggle out of this experimental entry, as its my attempt to produce ponganalu (savory Indian cakes) without the proper type of skillet — namely a ponganala pennam (ponganala skillet). Instead, I used a Swedish…

    Trackback by .: evil jungle prince :. — March 28, 2006 @ 10:25 am

  47. Hey Indira,
    I have allways been under the impression that this dish is a telangana speciality :), I am glad you cleared my misconception.
    I dont use turmeric and channa dal but the rest is the same. And my husband allways wanted me to add the chana dal because my mother in law makes them like that. But i was very adamant to stick to my moms recipe 🙂 but now I have to try :).
    I have tried these with sambhar and they just taste like vada with sambhar. Once again its a good job 🙂

    Comment by Greeshma — March 28, 2006 @ 10:54 am

  48. Fun with snacks

    Trackback by Patrick's Food Ramblings — May 9, 2006 @ 12:56 pm

  49. Hi, Indira.

    Great recipe. Peanut chutney recipe please.Good combination.

    Thanks.

    Comment by raghu — June 23, 2006 @ 1:00 am

  50. I wonder if the original IHOP (International House of Ponganalu!) was Tranquebar (http://www.trankebar.net/). Of course, that still wouldn’t solve the mystery of who borrowed from whom 🙂

    Comment by Uma — June 30, 2006 @ 12:23 am

  51. Fantastica site, kind of refreahing my memories of my moms and grandmoms receipies thanks to all the posts, excellent job verbiage and pics well done folks.

    Comment by Geetha — August 29, 2006 @ 1:22 pm

  52. Delicious , I have been searching for the perfect ponganalu recipe and I tried urs it was ‘perfect’. Gr8 Job there Buddy 🙂

    Comment by Neethi — October 29, 2006 @ 8:49 am

  53. woww..great idea! i have some idly batter left.i am gonna try it out.thx for sharing:)

    Comment by kalpana — October 31, 2006 @ 8:20 pm

  54. Wow!! Great Dish ! Nice Picture.

    Comment by Manju Bansal — November 1, 2006 @ 2:04 am

  55. Hi Indira,
    I am a Maharastrian, I love South Indian food, I wanted to thank you for all the great recipe’s you have posted, I have tried them and my family has loved them.This particular dish is very interesting,I would love to try it.
    Thanks again,
    Aparna

    Comment by Aparna — November 1, 2006 @ 6:30 am

  56. Is this the same as the Kuzhiappam pan? So many of these recipes on paniyaram are making me crave them badly. wish i had a pan to try it out. Wonderful photo.Thanks.

    Comment by shaheen — November 1, 2006 @ 3:54 pm

  57. hi,

    this is eswar frm paloncha, thanks for showing how to make the ponganalu…

    Comment by Eshwar — December 14, 2006 @ 2:25 am

  58. Where can I purchase the ponganalu pan?

    Comment by Richyne Meyer — January 3, 2007 @ 1:57 pm

  59. hi.,

    I am very happy that i finally got complete recipe for ponganalu, i would like to try this recipe,but can you tell me where i can get this ponganalu maker.

    Thanks.,

    Comment by madhu — January 4, 2007 @ 10:40 am

  60. Hi Richyne Meyer and Madhu:
    You can purchase cast iron ponganalu pan from Amazon.com. Checkout Mahanandi Selections on the sidebar, I’ve featured this product. And also you can get it at speciality mom and pop kitchen shops at malls and sometimes in Target.
    Hope this helps.

    Comment by Indira — January 5, 2007 @ 8:28 pm

  61. Hi Indira,
    I saw your website recently but i visit the site frequently. I get inspiration for everyday cooking from your website. I heard of ponganalu but my mom never use to make em. I recently bought a aebleskiver pan from amazon after your recommendation. I tried to make ponganalu the same way u mentioned in ur website but turning ponganalu is the biggest problem for me as i don have a ponganala lifter. I tried to use every little kitchen gadget i own ,nothing worked. Could you please suggest on anything i can use alternately. Eagerly waiting for your reply.

    Comment by Rajya lakshmi — January 30, 2007 @ 12:39 pm

  62. Also I would love to know where you buy all your kitchen utensils because i hardly find anything like those here in the US. The small steel katoris and everything i see in your site. I would like to know the names of the places. I greatly appreciate your time and thank you in advance.

    Comment by Rajya lakshmi — January 30, 2007 @ 12:50 pm

  63. Hello Indira,

    I asked my amma to get this ponganala skillet from India and made these today 🙂 We just loved them. It was so satisfying to have these for breakfast after a looong time. Thanks to you for reminding me of good old childhood.

    Deepti

    Comment by Deepti — February 17, 2007 @ 11:18 am

  64. India lo vundi kudaa thinalekapothunnamu… Thanks andi manchi vantakam gurinchi raasaaru

    Venu

    Comment by Venu — May 18, 2007 @ 10:51 am

  65. These are very delicious. Ponganalu is main source of breakfast along with Jonna rotte (jowar rotis) for people from Mahbubnagar, RangaReddy, Nalgonda. I am not aware of northern telangana

    Comment by Raga Jyothi — June 24, 2007 @ 3:20 pm

  66. Dear Indira,
    I tried this recipe twice, but failed both times as they stuck to my Lodge cast iron pan 🙁 Any advice? I made sure that the heat was medium, however that didn’t help. I was looking forward to trying the ponganalu, but no luck both times. Any advice you might have would be very helpful. Thanks!

    Hi Tapluna,
    Sorry to hear about your failed attempts. First few times are little bit difficult, even for me also. With a brush or spoon, apply oil, butter, or ghee generously in round impressions. The excessive oil technique works like a charm to season the skillet, and also the cooked ponganalu comeout good without sticking.
    Hope this helps. If this tip works, please do let me know. Happy ponganalu making!
    -Indira

    Comment by Tapluna — February 10, 2008 @ 5:54 pm

  67. Dear Indira,
    Thanks so much for the advice. I will try the recipe again in the next couple of weeks, and I will post again to let you know. Will definitely be generous with the oil next time!

    Comment by Tapluna — February 18, 2008 @ 5:57 pm

  68. Thanks indira garu

    Mee recipe makki ki makki follow aithe eppudu fail avaledu nenu..
    special ga ee pan konukkuni mari try chesanu
    superb asalu..
    ma ayina vallu punugulu ani same ade pindini oil lo vesi fry chesukuni tintarata..
    ila eppudu tinaledata tanu..
    asalu entha mechukunnaro..
    credit goes to u 🙂

    Comment by usha — March 30, 2008 @ 11:47 pm

  69. Nice post. I’ll try this out. I’m going to try cooking this on a crockpot, any tips, advice or suggestion on how to properly cook them? thanks!

    –Stephen

    Comment by Food and Recipes — April 15, 2008 @ 8:39 pm

  70. Visited first time and ponaganulu looks yummy.I used to do when I was in India but after coming to NZ its so difficult. After watching this in my next trip to India I will definitely bring this gadget..
    thanks for nice post…

    Comment by sangeeta — February 25, 2009 @ 10:36 pm

  71. Indira – This site has stolen your pictures: http://radhiskitchen-radhi.blogspot.com/2006/08/coconut-milk-rice-pakora-kurma.html

    Makes me very sad, since I know how much you put into this site. Have you contacted this woman?

    Comment by raina mehta — March 11, 2009 @ 1:48 am

  72. Indira, now it is autumn into winter, months later, but your web pages remain alive and are an inspiration! I am thinking there will be the very special iron pan to make these “ponganalu” from ‘Raayalaseema’ at Simha on Lexington Aveue here in N.Y.
    Thank you so much for the care and timing you’ve given to these web pages. ~ chana

    Comment by resonance/Blue Irises — December 8, 2009 @ 3:25 pm

  73. these are appelu my mom used to cook nice photos

    Comment by ram — February 18, 2010 @ 7:12 am

  74. not usually a big indian food cook, but looking for and discovering new recipes for my father-in-law. these look delicious! my mother-in-law recently passed away, both north indian, she was a wonderful cook! so i am trying to expand my own repetoire of indian cooking, and this recipe looks perfect!
    question: do these work as well on a plain skillet? i do not have a ponganalu maker, needless to say. perhaps i should just make the batter a little thicker so that they keep their shape?

    Comment by sujatha — November 3, 2010 @ 3:58 pm

  75. hello
    i have been a silent reader of your website for along long time , i admire the gadgets u have collected.
    now iwent to the amazon website but noluck on this pongala thingy
    is there a possiblity yu can sell one to me.please contact my email id and we can proceed
    i would love to buy some of the stuff you hve
    thanks’s
    sue

    Comment by sue — November 9, 2010 @ 12:07 am

  76. @Sue: Most of us in the west use aebleskiver pans to make these. It’s not quite the same – the impressions are deeper, meaning you have to cook them a bit longer and they can be harder to flip – but it works brilliantly. I’d LOVE to have a ponganalu pan and am kicking myself for not buying one I saw when I was in south Indian a few years ago.

    I just made these today with my cast iron aebleskiver pan, and these were so tasty. Wonderful on a wet winter’s day.

    Comment by Diane — December 25, 2010 @ 2:58 pm

  77. Hi, Where do we get the non stick skillets for Ponganalu and which brand?

    Comment by Beena — January 8, 2011 @ 7:31 am

  78. can u tell me which one is better iron/non stick? thank u

    Comment by Neelima — May 2, 2011 @ 3:11 pm

  79. Hi, Awesome recipe. We are from Nellore. We call them Puli bongaralu(Puli ponganalu).They are deep fried directly and not in this skillet. Though for healthy cooking we do use it. Thanks for the recipe.
    kamakshi

    Comment by kamakshi — February 25, 2012 @ 1:58 pm

  80. […] Vegetarian < Cooking < brindha Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees Mahanandi » Ponganalu (Gunta Pongadalu) Raayalaseema, Konaseema and Telengaana, these are the three regions in Andhra Pradesh , my home state. Each region has its own way of cooking things and special recipes. In case of breakfast/brunch worth getting up early for, ‘Konaseema’ is famous for their <i>‘Pesarattu – upma ‘ </i>combination (beautifully put together by Sailu ). I’m not that familiar with ‘Telengaana’ cuisine and ‘Raayalaseema’, where I’m from, has few special breakfast dishes unique to our region. Slice mushrooms and peppers into thin slices. Sauté mushrooms in a large pan with a small amount of olive oil for a couple minutes. Add peppers and cook for another couple minutes. When peppers are still a little crisp, add fajita seasoning, beans, and corn and combine, stirring until it is heated through. When ready to serve, sprinkle fresh cilantro on the top. […]

    Pingback by Vegetarian | Pearltrees — January 15, 2013 @ 8:46 pm

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