Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

South Indian Vegetable Uttapam

Name: South Indian Vegetable Uttapam
Total time: 13 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 300 g Indian rice; 100 g hulled urad dal; 120 g onion; 120 g tomato; 100 g green sweet pepper; 350 ml water; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp cooking oil; 3 L rinsing and soaking water (discarded); 150 ml extra batter-adjustment water (add only as needed)

南印度雜菜厚米豆煎餅

South Indian Vegetable Uttapam — finished dish

Total time: 790 min
Difficulty: Advanced
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

Fermented rice-and-urad batter is cooked as thick soft pancakes topped with onion, tomato and sweet pepper.

Ingredients

Main ingredients

300 g Indian rice
100 g hulled urad dal
120 g onion
120 g tomato
100 g green sweet pepper

Batter seasoning

350 ml water
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cooking oil

Process and adjustment water

3 L rinsing and soaking water (discarded)
150 ml extra batter-adjustment water (add only as needed)

South Indian Vegetable Uttapam — ingredients

Tools

mixing bowl
sieve
blender
measuring jug
spatula
kitchen knife
cutting board
measuring spoons
frying pan
ladle
serving plate
pastry brush
clean kitchen cloth

Steps

South Indian Vegetable Uttapam — Use 1 litre process water to rinse rice and urad separately until clearer, then soak them in separate bowls with the remaining 2 litres for four hours

Step 1

Use 1 litre process water to rinse rice and urad separately until clearer, then soak them in separate bowls with the remaining 2 litres for four hours

Use 1 litre process water to rinse rice and urad separately until clearer, then soak them in separate bowls with the remaining 2 litres for four hours.

Step 2

Drain rice and urad separately and discard the soaking water

Drain rice and urad separately and discard the soaking water.

Step 3

Blend urad with part of the water into a light smooth batter

Blend urad with part of the water into a light smooth batter.

Step 4

Blend rice with remaining water into a thick, slightly grainy batter

Blend rice with remaining water into a thick, slightly grainy batter.

Step 5

Mix both batters with salt in a bowl with ample headroom

Mix both batters with salt in a bowl with ample headroom.

Step 6

Cover loosely and ferment in a warm place for eight hours until risen and bubbly

Cover loosely and ferment in a warm place for eight hours until risen and bubbly.

Step 7

Finely dice onion, tomato and pepper; mix together

Finely dice onion, tomato and pepper; mix together.

Step 8

Stir the fermented batter once; only if too thick, add the extra adjustment water by tablespoons, up to 150 ml

Stir the fermented batter once; only if too thick, add the extra adjustment water by tablespoons, up to 150 ml.

Step 9

Heat the pan over medium and brush lightly with oil

Heat the pan over medium and brush lightly with oil.

Step 10

Ladle in one quarter of the batter and spread into a round about one centimetre thick

Ladle in one quarter of the batter and spread into a round about one centimetre thick.

Step 11

Immediately add one quarter of the vegetables; cook each side three to four minutes

Immediately add one quarter of the vegetables; cook each side three to four minutes.

Step 12

Cook remaining batter in batches; serve when centres have no wet batter

Cook remaining batter in batches; serve when centres have no wet batter.

Common mistakes

Do not spread uttapam paper-thin; about one centimetre keeps its thick, soft identity.

Tips

Stir fermented batter gently so its bubbles are not knocked out.