Uttapam
A thick, pancake-like griddle bread from the same fermented rice-and-urad-dal batter as dosa, with onion, tomato, and green chili pressed into the batter while it's still wet rather than sprinkled on after cooking. Cooked longer on one side so it stays thick and soft in the center with a lightly crisp base, distinguishing it from a thin, crepe-like dosa made from the identical batter.
Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups idli rice (or parboiled rice)
- 1/2 cup urad dal, split and skinned
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- Salt, to taste
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small tomato, finely chopped
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Oil or ghee, for cooking
Steps
- Soak the rice and urad dal, with the fenugreek seeds, separately in water for 4-6 hours.
- Grind the urad dal to a smooth, fluffy batter, and the rice to a slightly coarse batter. Combine, add salt, and mix well.
- Cover and ferment in a warm place for 12-24 hours until the batter has risen and smells tangy.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it.
- Pour a ladleful of batter and spread gently into a thick round, about 1/2-inch thick, thicker than a dosa; do not spread too thin.
- While the top is still wet, sprinkle chopped onion, tomato, green chili, and cilantro evenly over the surface, pressing gently so they stick.
- Drizzle oil around the edges and cook over medium-low heat until the bottom is golden and the top looks set, about 3-4 minutes.
- Flip carefully and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.