Uttapam is a tasty popular dish of South India made like pan cakes with idli dosa batter in dosa or uttapam pan. Uthappam tastes divinely with sambar, chutney & podi and made with or without toppings. Uttapam recipe with & without toppings is explained in this post with step by step pictures & video.
Uttapam is a healthy & comforting tiffin that is liked by all for its taste and loved by people who do not prefer crispier dosa. Uthappam is dunked with sambar and served at some hotels as Sambar Uthappam.
About Uttapam
Uttapam is a traditional tiffin of South India made by steaming rice batter in a flat skillet or pan. Uttapam is commonly relished for breakfast or dinner with sambar, chutney & podi. Uttapam is made plain or with toppings like onion, podi, veg, keerai, cheese and so on. Uthappam (Tamil), Uttappa (Karnataka), Oothappam (Malayalam) all mean the same Uttapam!
Uttapam & Dosa – What is the difference?
Uttapam is a variation of dosa – Uthappam is thicker like pancakes and softer compared to thin & crispy dosas. Both Dosa andUttapam share the same idli – dosa batter which is grind in the ratio of 1:4 (Urad Dal whole to Idly Rice) with wet grinder. The slightest difference is that we need not add water to the batter before making Uttapam while we generally add for dosa. So thicker batter is preferred for making uthappam. Uttapam takes more time to cook since it is thicker, but the time gets compensated by making more uthappam at one short with Uttapam pan.
Uttapam Pan
Uthappam Pan is not mandatory for making Uttapams. However, using Uttapam pan is advantageous for making
- 4 Uttapams at one go which is bit difficult with dosa pan
- uniform sized, same thick uthappams
- Uttapam frequently as otherwise we tend to go with the routine regular dosa
Uthappam pan is available commonly at stores dealing with kitchen utensils & online in Amazon, Flipkart, etc.
Uttapam Recipes
Podi Uttapam : Uttapam is made and idli milagai podi is sprinkled on top along with oil / ghee drizzled to get spicy crispy uttapam.
Capsicum Uttapam : Finely chopped capsicum is added as topping. You can even use colored capsicum finely chopped.
Small Onion Uttapam : This is one of my most favorites, small onion gives a nice crunch and flavour to the uttapam.
Tomato Uttapam : Finely chopped tomatoes are added as topping.
Carrot Coriander Uttapam : Finely chopped carrot and coriander leaves are added as topping.
Uttapam Ingredients
- Idli Dosa Batter: Uttapam does not require special batter. Homemade idli dosa batter or store bought batter is used for making Uthappam. Addition of basmati rice or raw rice or different ratio of dal is not necessary. Grinding batter with wet grinder is preferred over grinding in mixer grinder (mixie).
- Ghee / Oil :Use ghee or regular cooking oil (Sunflower / groundnut / gingely) for making Uthappam.
- Topping : As per your choice – onion, carrot, capsicum, podi, cheese, drumstick leaves, etc.
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📖 Recipe
Uttapam | Uthappam
Ingredients
- idli dosa batter as needed
Topping
- small onion finely chopped
- tomatoes finely chopped
- capsicum finely chopped
- idli podi
- carrot finely grated
- coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Uttapam:
- Get ready with idli dosa batter first. The batter should be slightly thicker than dosa batter.
- Heat tawa : Add 2 laddles of dosa batter to dosa tawa. I used my uttapam tawa but you can use any dosa tawa preferably iron tawa.
- Add the topping in the first batch I have added idli podi, tomato, small onion and capsicum. Drizzle oil over the sides and on the top.
- Cook covered for 2-3 mins.
- Open.Flip over, press gently and cook for another 2-3 mins.
- Flip over and serve hot!
Podi Uttapam & Carrot Uttapam
- For the next batch I added carrot coriander, idli podi and made one plain uttapam.
- Again cook covered for 2-3 mins.
- Open flip over and press gently.
- Uttapams are done, serve hot!
For Kadai Uttapam :
- Heat oil generously in a deep curved kadai. I used my cast iron kadai.
- Add 2 laddles of the batter into it then drizzle oil at the sides and on the top generously.
- Cook covered for 3-4 mins. Open.
- Flip over and cook for another 2-3 mins. Flip over and serve hot! It will be crispy and so yum. Kadai uttapam is my favorite.
- Serve Uttapam hot with sambar and chutney!
Video
Notes
- Do not add water as we do for dosas, just mix the batter and use it.
- Always cook in medium flame to get the perfect golden crust.
- You can add either small or big onions as per your preference for onion Uttapam or any topping of your choice.
- Preheat the pan before making Uttapam
Uttapam Recipe Step by Step
1.Get ready with idli dosa batter first. The batter should be slightly thicker than dosa batter.
2.Heat tawa : Add 2 laddles of dosa batter to dosa tawa. I used my uttapam tawa but you can use any dosa tawa preferably iron tawa.
3.Add the topping in the first batch I have added idli podi, tomato, small onion and capsicum. Drizzle oil over the sides and on the top.
4.Cook covered for 2-3 mins.
5.Open.
6.Flip over, press gently and cook for another 2-3 mins.
7.Flip over and serve hot!
8.For the next batch I added carrot coriander, idli podi and made one plain uttapam.
9.Again cook covered for 2-3 mins.
10.Open flip over and press gently.
11.Uttapams are done, serve hot!
12.For Kadai Uttapam : Heat oil generously in a deep curved kadai. I used my cast iron kadai.
13.Add 2 laddles of the batter into it then drizzle oil at the sides and on the top generously.
14.Cook covered for 3-4 mins.
15.Open.
16.Flip over and cook for another 2-3 mins. Flip over and serve hot! It will be crispy and so yum. Kadai uttapam is my favorite.
Serve hot with sambar and chutney!
Expert Tips
- Do not add water as we do for dosas, just mix the batter and use it.
- Always cook in medium flame to get the perfect golden crust.
- You can add either small or big onions as per your preference for onion Uttapam or any topping of your choice.
- Preheat the pan before making Uttapam
Storing & Serving Suggestions
Uttapam tastes best when hot & warm. Stock the batter for later use. For packing in lunch box, top the Uttapam with generous amount of ghee / oil along with podi or onion or cheese or mixed veggies. Also you can dunk sambar over uthappam to prevent it from getting dry.
Uttapam is served with varieties of sambar, chutney, podi &kurma!
FAQs
1.What is Uttapam?
Uttapam is a traditional tiffin of South India made by steaming rice batter in a flat skillet in dosa pan or Uttapam pan. Uttapam tastes divinely with sambar, chutney & podi and made with or without toppings.
2.How to make Uttapam?
- Take thick idli batter and pour 2 ladles of the batter in hotpan.Do not spread, it will spread by itself if you are using dosa pan.Drizzle oil.
- Add chopped small onion, idli podi or veggies of your choice on top.
- Cook covered for 2-3 minutes in low medium flame.
- Now carefully flip over and cook for a minute.
- Flip over again and serve hot.
3.Is the batter for Uttapam different from Idli Dosa Batter?
No – Both dosa & uthappam use the same idli dosa batter. However, we do not add water as we do for dosa for making Uttapam.
4.Is Uttapam pan mandatory for making Uttapam?
Uttapam can be made in dosa pan but using aUttapam pan makes the cooking easier and quicker.
5.Can I pack Uttapam for lunch box?
Uthappam tastes best warm or hot – but if you are packing for lunch box make topped Uttapam. Use generous amount of ghee / oil along with podi or onion or cheese or mixed veggies.
6.Can I make Uttapam by making a batter of rice flour with water?
No – Uttapam will not taste good with rice flour mixed with water. Fermented thick idli dosa batter suits the best for making Uthappam.
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