Dosa is the Indian crepe with a batter of fermented rice and lentils while uttapam is the thicker version. Much famous these days. You can basically call it as the South Indian fast food. Make the rice and dal batter over the weekend and have good breakfast over the week. You can use the Dosa batter immediately after grinding it in the grinder. However, dosa won't be brown as it is yet to ferment.
Idli batter needs to be fermented well. Hence, always wait to make your idli. I always prefer to have idli next day in breakfast or in the evening. Make sure you mix the batter with a spoon if you want to have fresh soft idli. Best part is it is a vegan and gluten-free recipe. If you have idlis left over make some idli fry too. Also a great way to avoid egg or sandwiches and get your protein from lentils instead. You can use the same batter for uttapam ,dosa and idli too. You can make it as a thin wrap or as a thick pancake. One batter makes so many variety of recipes.
Uttapam is the thick pancake version. You can get it in many flavors. Onion uttapam, plain, masala uttapam, tomato and mixed veg, sprinkle some cheese if you like. Basically a dosa but a thicker version and any topping you like. I usually make it with the left over batter of dosa the next day. It is thicker than a dosa and doesn't even need a chutney if you just eat it hot. Left over idlis can also be used. Just make a fried idli in air fryer or in a pan.
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How to make the batter?
Recipe for uttapam batter is simple. It is a mix of rice and black split gram soaked overnight. You may add rice flakes and fenugreek seeds to make it extra crispy. It is rich in iron and protein too. Hence, it is also great for your bones and gut as it is fermented.
This dish has gained popularity all over thanks to Udupi restaurants. While the west goes with plain flour egg loaded pancake, ours is a vegan gluten-free version. It is loaded with proteins thanks to the lentils in it. Pair it with coconut or tomato garlic chutney for yummy results. Nowadays very popular even in the western world. Thanks to eateries like Sarvanna Bhavan,Dosa Plaza and Dosa diner. It is as versatile as your pita bread a wrap. Mix any veggies or cheese to create your own special recipe. Load it with veggies and have it on the go. Healthy, tasty and unique!
Although most people love masala dosa, my favorite is the onion dosa or onion uttapam whatever I m in the mood for. In a large bowl, take some of the batter. Add very little water and mix salt. Add a cup of finely chopped onions and green chilies. Heat the pan on a medium flame and when it is hot, add a ladle of this mixture and move in a circular motion. Make it as thin or thick as you want. Cover and cook after adding few drops of oil or ghee. Flip until cooked evenly on both the sides. Easy peasy! Breakfast is served.
Ingredients
- Onion
- Capsicum/tomato chopped
- Oil
- Salt as per taste
- Sprigs of coriander/green onion chopped optional
- Chopped green chilly (optional)
Equipment
- Mixer grinder/ Food processor with wet grinding option/Smoothie maker if not using commercial batter
- Cast iron pan
How to make a uttapam?
Here are step wise instructions
Prepare the uttapam batter recipe using rice and lentils. For full steps, refer to our other recipe link here (opens in new page)
- Chop the veggies of your choice. You may either use a mix of onions, tomatoes and optionally coriander or just onion/tomato to make your veg uttapam.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Pour the batter using a ladle of the desired consistency. Make it as thin or as thick you like.
3. Spread the chopped ingredients on the batter followed by few drops of oil. Let it cook. Cover it with a lid for best results.
After a few minutes, you should be able to lift the pancake completely. If you can lift only a part of it, it means, it needs to cook for few minutes more.
4. Flip the pancake and cook for couple of mins.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney/ instant tomato chutney.
Related links
Read the recipe of Uttapam - Mix Veg pancake
Uttapam recipe
Equipment
- Mixer grinder for grinding batter
- cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 onion small chopped
- 1 capsicum/1 tomato chopped
- ¼ cup cabbage chopped
- Salt as per taste
- Sprigs of coriander/green onion chopped optional
- Few tablespoons of oil for cooking the pancake
For uttapam batter:
- 1 cup urad dal/black lentils soaked
- 3 cups rice 1.5 cup rice, 1.5 cup idli rice/boiled rice soaked
- Handful of poha /rice flakes
- 2-3 tablespoon tuvar dal/ pigeon pea lentils
- 1 teaspoon methidana/fenugreek seeds
- 2-3 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
To make the overnight batter
- Refer to detailed steps here - https://www.secondrecipe.com/dosa/
To make individual uttapam
- Heat the cast iron tawa for few mins on low heat.
- In a bowl take some amount of batter and add little water to get a thin pouring consistency. (You may not add water if you like extra thick ones).You may add salt if required.
- Once its medium hot, add a ladle of batter and spread it evenly.
- Add the veggies of your choice.
- Add few drop of oil on the edges and on top. Let it cook for few minutes ,until rawness disappears.
- .Flip it and cook on the other side for few mins.
- Using a spatula, take out the uttapam from the pan. Serve with coconut chutney.
- Before you start with the next uttapam, add few drops of water on the tava, so that the temperature of the tava has come down,else the batter will stick.
Notes
You may also use a warm sweater to cover the vessel
Variations
There is a variety of uttapam in market these days, just like dosa. Most common ones are masala uttapam where potato masala is spread on the thick pancake and plain uttapam served with coconut chutney and sambhar. Onion uttapam where only chopped onions and green chillies are added on the batter or onion tomato uttapam, which also has tomatoes on it.Other uthappam recipe which is not gluten free, is rava uttapam.These days you can even make uttapam pizza, by using it as a base instead of a plain flour and adding pizza toppings on it or make a traditional recipe by using chutney pudi to make your podi uthappam.
Storage
You can store the remaining batter in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I like to make my batter in small batches so that batter remains fresh.
FAQs
Cast iron pan needs to be medium hot before you start. Always sprinkle some water before you start to check how hot it is. If it is too hot then the batter won't spread evenly and sticks. Always sprinkle and spread few water droplets to check the heat. Once, uttapam batter is spread, put a lid on it to let it cook evenly. While flipping, if pancake sticks on one end, wait for it to cook for few more minutes.
If you stay in cold areas, Preheat the oven for 5 mins and switch it off. Keep the batter in a steel bowl and cover it. Put a sweater on top and leave it. It surely ferments faster. You can use this trick to set curd too.
What are other pancakes you can make?
Pancakes whether savory or sweet are a great option for breakfast. Eat it with marmalade like Paddington or just with some honey/maple syrup. Have your pick from the list below:
Vegan gluten-free savory pancakes
Looking for more South Indian breakfast ideas? click here.
Please share your inputs..