- Submitted by Dahlia on 7th Nov 2007
(Onion Uthappam, Uthappam Varieties, Uthappa, Oothappam, Onion Utappam)
Uttapam is a type of dosa, which is thicker than the regular dosa with some topping. The topping could be onion, carrot, coconut, tomato, beetroot, cabbage, capsicum, cheese, egg etc.. The topping could be mixture of multiple vegetables as well. Sweet uthappam is made with coconut and sugar topping.
Uttapam is made with the regular idli-dosa batter. Usually whenever I make homemade idli batter, the first 3-4 days I make idli or dosa. After the 4th day, the leftover batter will start becoming sour and may not yield good idlis and dosas. Uthappam is a perfect dish to make with this batter. I often make with fresh batter too because I love uthappams. You can use store bought idli/dosa batter and make this too. The best things about this is that each person gets to choose their favorite topping.
Some people just mix the toppings with the idli batter and make uthappams. It is easier but doesn't give the authentic taste. When you add the toppings after spreading the dosas, the toppings get well roasted when you flip it. This tastes so much better than the other way of making.
The famous uthappam found in all restaurants is the Onion Uthappam. Here I'll give you the recipe for onion uthappam. You can just change the toppings and make different uthappams of your choice.
Recipe For Onion Uthappam
Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes per uthappam
Serves:4
Ingredients
- Idli Batter - 2 cups
- Onions - 4 (finely chopped/ sliced)
- Green Chili - 3 (minced) or Idli Podi - 2 tbsp
- Cilantro (Coriander Leaves) - 2 strands (finely chopped)
- Oil/ Ghee – as needed (to make uthappams)
Method
- Chop the onion finely or into thin slices. You can use regular onions or sambar onions. Usully finely chopped green chilies, cilantro and a pinch of salt are mixed with the onions. For the sake of kids, I do not add that. Instead I sprinkle some idli podi while making the uthappams.
- Heat a griddle or frying pan or dosa tawa. Smear some oil on the gridlle using a brush or a paper towel. You can use a non stick pan to make healthier uthappams but to get the traditional crispy uthappams, a cast iron griddle is recommended.
- Pour a big ladle full of the idli batter in the center of a heated pan. Let it spread on its own to take a round shape. Just spread it a little in circular motion. Do not spread it thin as the uthappams have to be thick and spongy.
- Sprinkle some idli podi on top of the uthappam and add few chopped onions. If your prefer, add finely chopped cilantro and green chili too.
- Drizzle few drop of oil/ ghee around the edges. Also add few drops of oil in the middle. Cook on medium low flame so that the middle gets cooked properly. I usually mix up about 1/4 cup of sesame oil and 2 tbsp of ghee together and use it for making dosas.
- When the base is golden brown i.e after approximately 2 minutes, flip the uthappam and cook the other side. Gently press with a spatula so that the toppings get roasted.
- After about a minute, the other side will be cooked with the onions well roasted. The uthappams will be crispy on the outside with soft spongy inside.
- Carefully remove from the pan and serve hot. This tastes best when served hot hot straight out of the pan.
Tips
- For crispier uthapam, pierce a hole in the middle and pour little oil while cooking.
- You could try different toppings and make tomato uthappam, carrot uthappam, idli podi uthappam, coconut uthappam, beetroot uthappam, oats uthappam , cheese dosa, spinach uthappam, capsicum uthappam, cabbage uthappam, mixed vegetable uthappam, egg dosa etc. My friend has shared a few options of uthappams here.
Serving Suggestion
- Piping hot onion uttapam goes well with sambhar and different chutney varieties.
Other Dosa and Idli Recipes