Uttapam is a popular South Indian breakfast recipe that is crispy on the outside and has a soft and fluffy texture inside. The uttapam dosa is prepared using the traditional rice and urad dal dosa batter and is topped with veggies of your choice. This is served with chutney and sambar.
Why you'll love this recipe?
- This is a complete meal packed with protein, carbs, and vitamins. You can serve this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
- It is dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free.
- The batter uses only two main ingredients with which you can make any variety of uttappa.
Ingredients
Uttapam batter is made with fermented rice and urad dal batter, popularly known as idli dosa batter, and topped with different vegetables like onion, carrot, green chilies, ginger, coriander leaves, capsicum, and beetroot. You can even add spices of your choice.
Having batter makes your morning easy. You need 10 minutes to prepare your breakfast. I generally make this all-in-one perfect dosa batter and use it over the week to make soft dosa, plain dosa, a variety of uttappa, appe (paniyaram).
Two ways to cook the dosa
First method: Spread the batter over tawa, sprinkle the toppings, and cook on both sides. This method will give you a caramelized, crispy exterior and a soft and fluffy interior.
Second method: Mix the veggies (toppings) with the dosa batter and then spread it over hot tava. While this method is quick and easy, in my opinion, the first method's grilled (slightly caramelized) toppings give the dosa its unique, authentic flavor.
Variations
- Mixed vegetable uttapam - Toppings of onion, carrot, cilantro, green chilies, and ginger.
- Onion uttapam - topped with onion, green chilies, and cilantro.
- Cheese uttapam - topped with vegetables and grated with cheese of your choice.
- Beetroot uttapam - topped with beetroot, peas and cilantro.
- Tomato uttapam - topped with tomato cubes, green chilies and cilantro.
- Masala uttapam - topped with spicy potato masala.
Instructions
- Add onion, green chilies, carrot, ginger, and coriander leaves in a bowl.
- Heat the tava on medium flame and drizzle oil. You can use a cast iron pan or nonstick dosa tawa.
- Once the tawa is hot, pour the laddle full of batter at the center of the tawa and, using the back of the laddle, lightly spread. This dosa should be thick.
- Now sprinkle the toppings. Drizzle oil around the edges. Cover it with the lid and cook on medium flame.
- Once it becomes golden brown at the bottom, flip and cook on another side on medium-high flame for about one to two minutes or until it becomes charred.
- Repeat the process for the remaining batter.
Pro Tips
- If you find it difficult to handle a big dosa with toppings, you can cook three mini dosas at a time instead of one.
- The batter should be thick else you will not be able to add the toppings.
- Make sure the pan is hot before you add the batter.
- Do not be in a hurry. Cook the dosa on medium flame, and only once you flip it you can increase the flame to medium-high to make it charred like restaurant style.
Recipe FAQ
Uttapam is made with dosa batter, but the additional vegetable toppings are what make it healthier and tastier than dosa.
No. Uttapam is a flavorful and healthy low-fat food. One of the best breakfast options on a daily basis or for your weight loss journey.
If you consume rice on a daily basis, then you should have no problem eating dosa. But if you are health conscious, then you can simply substitute brown rice for white rice while making dosa batter which is rich in fiber plus good for your digestive tract.
More dosa recipes
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Recipe card
Uttapam Recipe
Equipment
- Dosa tawa
- Laddle
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Dosa batter
- ½ Onion, finely chopped
- ½ Carrot, grated
- 1 inch Ginger, grated
- 2 Green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves or cilantro, finely chopped
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Add onion, green chilies, carrot, ginger, and coriander leaves in a bowl.½ Onion, finely chopped, ½ Carrot, grated, 1 inch Ginger, grated, 2 Green chilies, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves or cilantro, finely chopped
- Heat the tava on medium flame and drizzle oil. You can use a cast iron pan or nonstick dosa tawa.Oil for cooking
- Once the tawa is hot, pour the laddle full of batter at the center of the tawa and, using the back of the laddle, lightly spread. This dosa should be thick.1 ½ cups Dosa batter
- Now sprinkle the toppings. Drizzle oil around the edges. Cover it with the lid and cook on medium flame.
- Once it becomes golden brown at the bottom, flip and cook on another side on medium-high flame for about one to two minutes or until it becomes charred. Add more oil if needed.
- Repeat the process for the remaining batter.
Notes
- If you find it difficult to handle a big dosa with toppings, you can cook three mini dosas at a time instead of one.
- The batter should be thick else you will not be able to add the toppings.
- Make sure the pan is hot before you add the batter.
- Do not be in a hurry. Cook the dosa on medium flame, and only once you flip it you can increase the flame to medium-high to make it charred like restaurant style.
- Adjust the toppings as desired.
- Drizzle oil at the beginning only if using cast iron tawa.
Jess
I love the contrasting textures. So good!
Ned
Oh wow that looks good! Can't wait to try them this week. Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Andrea
This is one flavor packed breakfast. I can't wait to try it.
TAYLER ROSS
I had this uttapam for breakfast this morning and it was wonderful! I'll definitely be making it again!