Uthappam
Grrrrrgh!
Course : Curry
From: HungryMonster.com
Serves: 6
 

Ingredients:

4 cups white rice
1 cup split black gram
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt -- to taste
1 1/2 cups onions -- finely chopped
4 medium green chile -- finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
15 pieces curry leaves -- chopped
3 teaspoons oil
 

Preparation:

For Batter: Mix rice and black gram together. Wash thoroughly and soak in sufficient amount of water for six hours. Then drain the water, add salt, and grind in a processor while adding about 3 cups of water (consistency should be that of beaten yogurt, not watery, but definitely not doughy). Put it in a deep pot, cover and leave aside in warm room temperature to ferment for two days. The batter should have risen and little bubbles may also appear on the surface. It must be well fermented. When you are ready to cook the Uthappams, add one tsp. of baking soda to the batter and stir it. If you want to leave aside some batter for another time, only add the soda to the portion you are going to cook. For Cooking the Batter: Add finely chopped onions, chopped green chiles, cumin, and chopped curry leaves to the batter and stir. In a wide, non-stick skillet (about the diameter of a ping-pong paddle), add two tbsp. of cooking oil, heat over medium, and pour enough batter to cover the entire bottom of the skillet, to about 3/4 inches thickness. Spread about 1 tbsp. of oil on top and cover with lid. After 10 minutes, turn it upside down and cook likewise for 10 minutes on low heat. You will know it's done when it's brown. Remove from heat. Tastes good by itself. Can be a filling snack, but also a good substitute for lunch or dinner. Uthappam goes very well with Indian pickles, especially mango pickles or lemon pickles (available in Indian stores). Always buy the most recently made pickles. One more thing: You can also add peas, finely chopped cauliflower, boiled carrots, etc. to the batter, but tomato will not work. Preparation time: 2 days (for batter), 12 minutes (cooking time for each Uthappam