Hello, food lovers and fellow culinary adventurers! Today, I’m here to take you on a deliciously funny journey through the world of Mini Paddu. For those who don’t know, Paddu (or Paniyaram) is a traditional South Indian snack that’s crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and a total crowd-pleaser. It’s like a little savory pancake, but trust me, it’s way more exciting than it sounds. Now, the twist is, I decided to make Mini Paddu for the first time… and as you can imagine, chaos ensued.

1. The Dream of Making Mini Paddu: It’s So Simple, Right?

I’ve seen people effortlessly whip up Paddu on cooking shows, so I was convinced it was easy. You just mix the batter, pour it into the paddu maker, and boom—delicious mini paddy goodness. It looks so cute and fancy, right? Like these little bite-sized delights were practically begging me to make them.

Note to self: Never trust a cooking show. They always leave out the chaos.

I gathered the ingredients, which included rice flour, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a few other magical ingredients that I had no idea how to pronounce. The best part? I had a fancy new paddu maker (aka a piece of equipment that will test your patience). I was ready to make some magic happen.

2. The Batter: A Lesson in Proportions and Patience

Making the batter was easy—mix the ingredients, add water, and stir, right? Wrong. Apparently, there’s a fine art to mixing rice flour and urad dal in the right proportions. I, however, decided to eyeball it like a true chef. And as you can guess, my batter turned out to be either too thick or too runny every single time I attempted it.

“Why isn’t this working?” I wondered, as I stared at the gloopy mess that was supposed to be batter.

After a few more tries (and a couple of YouTube videos for guidance), I finally managed to get the batter to a somewhat acceptable consistency. But, at this point, I was already questioning my life choices.

3. The Paddu Maker: Not as Easy as It Looks

The next step was pouring the batter into the paddu maker. Let me tell you—this is where the true fun began.

The paddu maker has these little circular molds that are supposed to fill up with batter, creating the perfect little round paddu. Sounds simple, right? But no one told me that the batter would not be as cooperative as the cooking shows made it seem.

I tried to pour the batter carefully, but instead of forming perfect little circles, the batter splattered all over the place like it was trying to escape the evil clutches of my cooking spoon. It was as if the batter was playing hide and seek, refusing to settle into the molds.

So, I did what any logical person would do—I just poured more batter everywhere, hoping some of it would accidentally land in the right spot. Spoiler alert: It didn’t.

4. The Sizzling Chaos: A Paddu Panic

Now, this is where things started getting really real. The paddu maker started sizzling, which I thought meant everything was going according to plan. But then the paddu maker started spitting—like a dragon who had just discovered chili sauce. The batter was sizzling so loudly that it sounded like a popcorn machine gone rogue.

“Is this how it’s supposed to sound?” I questioned myself. But then I remembered: this isn’t a fancy cooking show. This is real life, and I was definitely not prepared for the noise and the chaos that followed.

As the padda sizzled, I tried to flip them, and let’s just say… not all of them made it out of the paddu maker in one piece. Some of them looked like sad, deflated pancakes. Others stuck to the molds like they were in a permanent relationship with them.

5. The Final Result: Mini Paddu or Mini Disaster?

After what felt like hours (but was probably just 20 minutes), I finally had a batch of mini paddu. Some were round and beautiful, like little golden orbs of deliciousness. Others, well, they looked like they had gone through a culinary apocalypse.

I took a bite of the “successful” ones, and, my friends, they were actually quite tasty! The crispy outside and soft inside were exactly as promised. The seasoning was spot on, and I almost felt like a professional chef for a hot second.

However, my “less successful” ones? Let’s just say they were a bit… chewy. But hey, I’ll call them “experimental” and pass them off as “unique.” It’s all part of the fun, right?

6. The Aftermath: A Kitchen Full of Mess and Pride

In the end, I stood proudly over my mini paddu creation, feeling both accomplished and utterly exhausted. Sure, the kitchen looked like a war zone, and there was batter everywhere, but I had made something that looked like food—and tasted like it, too! That’s a win in my book.

Takeaways from My Real Mini Paddu Cooking Adventure:

1. Patience is key. Don’t try to rush the batter-making process. I learned this the hard way.
2. The paddu maker is a tricky beast. If you don’t want your batter splattered all over your kitchen, take your time!
3. Not everything has to be perfect. Some of my mini paddus looked like they had been in a fight with gravity, but hey, they were still edible and tasty!
4. Cooking is a journey. Even if your mini paddu turns out more like “mini disaster,” the fun is in the process. And the reward? Delicious bites of victory.

So, next time you decide to make Mini Paddu, remember—don’t stress if things get a little chaotic. The beauty of cooking is that sometimes the messiest moments lead to the tastiest dishes. And if your paddu ends up a little wonky? That just makes it even more special.

Until next time, folks, happy cooking! Just remember to wear your apron, and maybe not get as ambitious with your “eyeballing” skills.

— Pari ✨