Uthappam Recipe

Soak

Rinse rice and urad dal separately until water runs clear. Combine rice and poha in one bowl and urad dal with fenugreek seeds in another. Cover with enough water to submerge (about 2–3 cups for rice, 1–2 cups for dal) and soak rice/poha 4–6 hours and urad dal 4–6 hours (can soak overnight).

Grind

Drain soaking water. Grind urad dal and fenugreek with about 1/2 cup fresh water to a smooth, light, airy batter (use a blender or wet grinder). Transfer to a large bowl. Grind rice and soaked poha with about 3/4–1 cup water to a slightly coarse-smooth batter (a bit grainy is fine). Combine rice batter with the urad dal batter; batter should be pourable but thick (like pancake batter).

Ferment

Cover the bowl and keep in a warm place for 8–14 hours until the batter doubles in volume and is slightly bubbly and sour-smelling. Once fermented, stir in 1 to 1.5 tsp salt and adjust consistency with a little water if batter is too thick (should drop slowly from a spoon).

While batter ferments or shortly before cooking, prepare toppings: thinly slice onion, chop tomato, finely chop green chili, grate carrot and shred cabbage if using. Mix onions, tomatoes, chilies, cilantro, grated carrot, cabbage and curry leaves together in a small bowl and set aside. Keep portions ready for each uthappam.

Preheat pan

Heat a heavy nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Reduce to medium-low — the pan should be hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates slowly. Wipe lightly with oil using a folded paper towel.

Make uthappam

Ladle about 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter onto the center of the pan to make a thick pancake about 4–5 inches (10–12 cm) across. Gently spread the top with the back of the ladle in a very small circular motion if you want slightly thinner edges, but keep center thick (unlike dosa, uthappam is thick). Immediately sprinkle a generous layer of the mixed toppings over the top and press lightly with the back of a spatula so they adhere.

Cook first side

Drizzle about 1/2 tsp oil or ghee around the edges and a little on top. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium-low for 3–5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and edges look set and the top is cooked through (steam under lid cooks the thick batter).

Flip and finish

Carefully flip the uthappam using a spatula. Add another small drizzle of oil/ghee and cook uncovered 2–3 minutes until the second side is lightly browned and toppings are slightly caramelized. For extra crispness, cook an additional 30–60 seconds each side on slightly higher heat, watching closely to prevent burning.

Serve

Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping or oiling the pan as needed. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

If you like a quick tempering drizzle: heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp urad/chana dal. When mustard pops and dal turns golden, pour over a stack of finished uthappams for added aroma and texture.