CHENNAI: Guliyappa, paddu, ponganalu or kuzhi paniyaram. The humble ball-shaped dumplings conjure up vivid images of a childhood snack commonly devoured in south Indian households. Praveen Kumar’s year-old eatery Kuzhip serves up varieties of this steamed delicacy with dollops of nostalgia in sizeable portions. The 300-sq-ft shop on the road leading to a subway for two-wheelers in Kodambakkam is hard to miss. “We started with two basic varieties in paniyaram and momo. It has gradually developed to eight varieties in paniyaram and seven in momo. I wanted to revive this healthy snack for the next generation. The recipes are my wife Padmaja’s. She learnt it from her mother. The innovative part is with batter and choice of ingredients in paniyaram, and stuffings in momo,” said Praveen, a first-time entrepreneur.
Bite-sized treats
Their extensive list of paniyaram includes curd paniyaram, coconut paniyaram, kara paniyaram, corn paniyaram, millet paniyaram and ginger-garlic paniyaram. Each plate has six pieces and is served with three types of colourful chutneys that vary every day. Beetroot chutney is their specialty. We’re served ghee podi paniyaram which is said to be a crowd-puller here. The paniyaram is prepared on a cast iron pan with several small moulds. The trick is to ensure that every mould is constantly filled with several spoons of rice bran oil (or oil of your choice) until the end of preparation. The batter that has a mix of healthy and homegrown ingredients such as millet variants and lentils is gently poured into every mould. They’re turned and tossed in intervals. Once the consistency is achieved, the balls are taken out and generously seasoned with homemade podi and soaked in ghee.
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, the paniyarams are cooked to perfection and explode into happy flavours with every bite. We also tried the moderately sweet, palm jaggery paniyaram. We relished the crunchiness of cashews and raisins stuffing. “Evenings are crowded. Sales have picked up with delivery service. However, regular patrons prefer to drop by. We will also be bringing fusion versions such as paneer and cheese ball paniyaram. Patrons are raving about the podi used in ghee podi paniyaram. I suggested my wife make packets of them to sell at our store. A lot of thought has gone into the ingredients of it,” said Praveen.
Healthy made tasty
The joint also has an interesting line-up of steamed and pan-fried momos accompanied with sweet and spicy sauce. The dough for momos is made in-house and the freshness of it reflects in the thin texture. The stuffing options offer cheese corn, paneer, mushroom, aloo cheese, and their specialty aloo butter. We tasted the airy aloo butter momo and there’s no denying that it goes light on the stomach.
“We don’t use frozen momo packets. Everything is made from scratch. The filling is stuffed in a way that it doesn’t spill out. We also have a pocket-friendly momo and paniyaram combo for college kids. There’s no preservative or chemical colours involved in the making,” said Praveen. The snack also makes for a great breakfast, lunch and dinner option. Praveen plans to open another outlet soon.
Priced from Rs 70. For details, call: 9940045678Address: Old No 7 New, No 15, Rangarajapuram Main Rd, Kodambakkam