Instant Uthappam (Indian Pancakes With Veggies)

Uthappams are reminiscent of a pizza minus the cheese and no gluten since only rice and besan (garbanzo flour) are used. They are wonderfully flavorful pancakes; traditionally Uthappams are made with Dosa or Idli batter. So, what does one do if there is no leftover batter? I made these wonderful Uthappams with a fresh batter using flours which worked very well.

Rice flour, garbanzo flour, asafetida, etc are readily available in Indian markets.

Uthappam With Dal Chutney 

Uthappams are very popular for brunch. They may be eaten any time of day although not typically for breakfast. Serve them with one of more of your favorite chutneys - Dal, coconut, sweet potato, or bell pepper. Sambar and raitas are popular accompaniments also.

Ingredients:

Topping:

1 Carrot, shredded

1 small Onion, any color, finely chopped

1 small Bell Pepper,any color, finely diced

1 small Zucchini, shredded

1 ripe Tomato, thinly sliced

1-2 Hot green Chiles, minced

1 small bunch Cilantro, chopped

Veggies for Topping

Veggies mixed & ready 

Batter:

1 cup Rice flour

1 cup Besan

1 pinch Asafetida

1 pinch Turmeric

1 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt

Oil for cooking

Method:

Mix the flours with salt and spices. Add enough water to make a not too thick or thin batter. If you have a little time, add a pinch of yeast to the batter, stir well, and set aside. If you need the batter right away, add a pinch of baking soda instead and stir well.

Prepare the veggies and combine in a bowl.

Now you have a choice to make: 1. mix everything together or 2. keep the veggies as topping. Either way, the pancakes are delicious.

Heat a skillet over medium heat; lightly coat a little oil with a paper towel (be careful to not burn your fingers).

Spread about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the batter on the skillet, drizzle a few drops of oil all around it, and quickly sprinkle some of the toppings on top of the pancake. You may use a lid to make sure everything cooks well.

Flip the pancake carefully so as not to displace the toppings. Remove to a plate.

Proceed with the rest of the batter to make more uthappams. Any leftover batter may be saved in the fridge for a couple of days.

Serve hot off the griddle or warm with the suggested or your favorite chutneys and a raita if you like.

Enjoy!!

Cooking the Uthappam

Variation: If it is too much of a bother to keep the topping separate, just go ahead and combine the toppings with the batter and proceed with cooking the uthappams. They will be fine and taste great; just a different look :). I added red cabbage to the list of toppings here.

With the addition of veggies stirred into the batter, the uthappams are often thick; in order to cook better, I make a little hole in the middle and drizzle a little oil while cooking.

Batter with Toppings mixed in

Uthappam all ready to plate