Grind the soaked moong, ginger, red chillies, salt, and turmeric to a coarse paste using as little water as possible. The batter should be thick and fall off the spoon.
Making the Pesarattu Paddu | Moong Dal Paniyaram
If you are using rice flour, add it to the batter and mix well.
Over medium flame, heat the appam pan.
Add a few drops of oil to each cavity.
Fill 3/4 of each cavity with the batter. The paniyaram will swell a bit as they are cooking.
Cook over medium flame for 2 minutes or till the side touching the pan is golden brown. I use a paring knife to gently lift the paniyaram to check for brownness.
Using a small knife, flip the paniyaram.
Drizzle a few drops of oil or ghee along the edges.
Let the paniyaram cook till the flip side is also golden brown.
Remove and serve hot with Allam Pachadi.
Notes
The rice flour makes the Paddu crisp.
Do make these in ghee, if possible, as it lends a distinct flavour. Also, ghee helps in digesting the relatively heavy moong dal.