Uttapam

Ingredients

Batter

• 300 gidli rice or parboiled rice
• 100 gurad dal, split black gram, skinned
• 1 tspfenugreek seeds
• salt
• water

Toppings

• 2onions, finely chopped
• 2tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 2green chillies, chopped
• 1carrot, grated
• a handful of coriander
• 1 tspcumin seeds
• curry leaves

To cook

• oil or ghee, for the griddle

To serve

• coconut chutney
• sambar
• tomato chutney

Directions

1. Soak the rice and the dal separately, with the fenugreek in with the dal. Soak them separately, since they grind differently and need different treatment. Soak both for at least 6 hours, and overnight is better. Now grind the dal first, with a little cold water, until it is very smooth and fluffy.
2. Grind the dal until it is genuinely light and airy, and it should roughly double in volume and feel foamy. That aeration is what makes the batter rise, and a wet grinder does it better than a blender.
3. Add water in small amounts and keep the grinder cool, since heat kills the wild organisms. Combine the two, add salt, and mix thoroughly with your hand. Mix it well and enthusiastically for a couple of minutes. Now ferment it in a warm place for 8 to 12 hours.
4. Cover it loosely and leave room in the bowl, since it can double. It is ready when it has risen, is full of bubbles, and smells pleasantly sour. Stir it gently rather than beating it, since beating knocks out the gas you have spent all night making.
5. Heat a heavy tawa or non-stick pan over a medium heat, not a high one. An uttapam is thick and it needs time for the centre to cook, and a hot pan burns the base while the top is still wet batter. Rub the pan with a little oil on a piece of kitchen paper. Spread it just enough to make a round of about 12 cm and 1 cm thick, and no more. Let it settle into shape rather than pushing it out.
6. Scatter the chopped onion, tomato, chilli, carrot and coriander over the wet surface. Pressing them into the wet batter is what makes them stay put. Add them while the batter is still wet, within the first few seconds.
7. Deseed the tomatoes, since their liquid makes the uttapam soggy. Covering it steams the top so the thick batter cooks through without needing to be turned early. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the base is golden and the top is set and no longer wet. Now turn it once and cook 2 minutes more. Turn it only once the top has set, or the toppings fall out.
8. Press it down gently so the toppings catch and brown. It should be golden and slightly crisp underneath and soft and spongy through. Serve it immediately, hot, with coconut chutney and sambar. Podi uttapam, sprinkled with the dry spice powder, is another common version.

Technique

• It uses exactly the same batter as dosa and idli.
• Slightly over-fermented batter is better suited to uttapam than to dosa.
• Mixing the batter by hand is traditional and contributes to the fermentation.

Substitutions

• Ready-made dosa batter, sold refrigerated in Indian shops.
• Idli rava in place of whole rice.

Variations

• Onion uttapam, which is the most common.
• Podi uttapam, sprinkled with spice powder.
• Made small, as mini uttapams for children.

History

A South Indian tiffin dish using the same overnight-fermented batter as dosa, poured thicker and cooked soft.

Frequently asked questions

What is Uttapam?

Uttapam is a breakfast from India: thick pancake of fermented rice-lentil batter topped with onion, chilli and tomato. A South Indian tiffin dish using the same overnight-fermented batter as dosa, poured thicker and cooked soft.

How long does Uttapam take to make?

Uttapam takes 20 min plus 12 hr soaking and 12 hr fermenting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 uttapams. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Uttapam?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made dosa batter, sold refrigerated in Indian shops. Idli rava in place of whole rice.

What is the most important thing to get right in Uttapam?

Cover it loosely and leave room in the bowl, since it can double. It is ready when it has risen, is full of bubbles, and smells pleasantly sour. Stir it gently rather than beating it, since beating knocks out the gas you have spent all night making.