Whenever we make dosas at home, we make enough batter to make idlis, paniyaram and uthappam later in the evening. It is a wise move; after all, why would you spend a whole day grinding the batter, fermenting the same and then end up exhausting the entire batter for one dish? A single batch of rice batter can yeild you so many dishes. It sure sounds wonderful, except it can all fall flat if you fail the ‘basics’ test.
That’s right. If your dosa is not coming out crispy, if your idli is undercooked from the centre, if your uthappam often breaks after you flip it over, then you, my friend, need a crash course in ‘basics’.
One of my most favourite South Indian delicacies is Uthappam. This thick, pancake-like dish can be plain or topped with a host of veggies and herbs like onions, chillies, tomatoes and coriander. I prefer my utthappams moderately thick, with browned bottom, loaded with onions. Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing my Uthhapams break in half while flipping them over or when the base is not firm enough to hold the toppings above.
Turns out, there are umpteen ways with the help of which you can make perfect, crispy Uthappams each time.
1. Batter Be Mindful: You need a batter that is not too thick or thin; it should be of ribbony consistency. Very thin will spread all over your skillet and a very thick batter is the formula to disaster.
2. Temperature control: Make sure your tawa or skillet is hot when you drop the batter. Grease the pan with neutral flavoured oil; you can skip the greasing part if it is a non-stick pan.
3. Regulate temperature: Right before you pour the batter, reduce the flame to low. Remember you had to drop the batter on a hot flame, but you have to cook the uttapam on medium flame.
4. Spread it evenly: You do not have to spread it across like a dosa, just gradually so it is round and still slightly thick.
5. Grease quotient: If you want fool-proof uttapams, try and drizzle some oil or butter on top or the sides.
6. Watch the base: Flip only when the base begins to separate from the skillet, and it should be slightly golden. It should not be deep brown because there is still a fair amount of cooking that needs to be done.
Bear in mind these six tips and make the restaurant-like uthappams at home. Were you looking for the ideal recipe? We handpicked some for you. So have a look and start cooking. Although some of these Utthappams may be too spicy for your liking, you can regulate the same by adjusting the number of hot ingredients.
Vegetable Uthappam: Why choose among vegetables when you can plop them all on one single uthappam.
Onion-Tomato Uthappam: A personal favourite, the crunchy onions, tangy tomatoes spell magic together on this pancake.
Bread Uthappam: Why make a batter at all when you can make crispy uthappams using slices of bread.