Oats Uttapam
- 10 min prep
- 50 min
- Pan-fry
- Serves 2
- 310 kcal
- 9.1 g protein
Thick, soft-centred uttapams from a 20-minute oats, rava and besan batter, crowned with onion, tomato and capsicum that caramelise against the hot tawa.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (45 g) quick oats or rolled oats
- ¼ cup (40 g) fine semolina (rava)
- ¼ cup (22 g) besan (gram flour)
- ¾ to 1 cup (180–240 ml) water
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- Salt, to taste (about ½ tsp)
- 1 small onion (70 g), finely chopped
- 1 small tomato (70 g), deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ small capsicum (50 g), finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (20 g) carrot, grated
- 1 green chilli (4 g), finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
- 4 tsp (20 ml) oil, for cooking
Method
- 1Grind the oats to a fine flour in a dry mixer jar. Tip into a bowl with the rava, besan and salt.
- 2Whisk in ¾ cup water to get a smooth, lump-free batter. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- 3While the batter rests, toss the onion, tomato, capsicum, carrot, green chilli and coriander together with a pinch of salt on a plate.
- 4After resting the batter will be thicker. Add water a spoon at a time until it flows slowly off a ladle, like thick pancake batter. Stir in the lemon juice, then the baking soda; it will turn slightly airy.
- 5Heat a tawa on medium, smear it with ½ tsp oil, then lower the heat. Pour a ladle of batter and nudge it into a thick round about 5 inches (12 cm) across. Do not spread it thin.
- 6Scatter a quarter of the vegetables over the top and press them in lightly with a spatula. Drizzle ½ tsp oil around the edge and over the top.
- 7Cook on low-medium for 3–4 minutes until the base is golden and the top looks set and dry at the edges. Flip and cook the vegetable side for 2–3 minutes until the onions are lightly charred.
- 8Flip back so the vegetables face up and serve. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Notes from the Department
- Uttapam should be thick. If yours spread like a dosa, the batter needs a few minutes more rest or a spoon less water.
- Keep the heat low-medium. High heat browns the base before the thick centre cooks.
- Add the baking soda only when you are ready to cook; the lift fades if the batter sits.
- Swap lemon and soda for ¼ cup whisked curd if you prefer a softer, tangier uttapam (it will not be vegan).
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 9.1 g
- Carbohydrate
- 44 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 6.1 g
- Sugars
- 5.2 g
Why this works
Uttapam is the thick, forgiving member of the dosa family, which makes it a good home for oats. Oat flour gives body, rava gives a little grain and crispness at the edges, and besan helps the batter hold together in a thick round while adding a savoury depth. Lemon juice reacts with a pinch of baking soda for gentle lift, so the inside stays soft without any overnight fermentation.
The toppings are not decoration. Pressed into the wet batter and then turned face-down on the tawa, the onion and tomato soften and char at the edges, which gives every bite a little sweetness. The Department of Toppings recommends being generous.
Swaps
Any finely chopped vegetable works: sweet corn, grated beetroot, cabbage or spinach. Rice flour can replace the rava if you need it gluten-free; buy oats labelled certified gluten-free too, as regular oats are often handled alongside wheat. A sprinkle of idli podi on the toppings before flipping adds a pleasing kick. No-onion households can use extra capsicum and tomato with a pinch of cumin.
Serving and storage
Serve hot with coconut chutney, peanut chutney, tomato chutney or sambar. Two uttapams make a full breakfast; one with a bowl of sambar makes a light dinner.
The batter, without baking soda, keeps in the fridge for a day. Bring it to room temperature, loosen with water and add soda just before cooking. Cooked uttapams keep for a day; reheat on a dry tawa for a minute each side so the base crisps up again.
Questions people ask
- Can I make oats uttapam without rava?
- Yes. Replace the rava with an equal amount of rice flour. The uttapam is slightly softer and becomes gluten-free if you also use certified gluten-free oats.
- Why is my uttapam sticking to the pan?
- The tawa is either not hot enough or not seasoned. Heat it properly on medium, smear oil, then lower the heat before pouring. A cast-iron tawa that is well used works best.
- Can I make the batter the night before?
- You can mix the oat flour, rava, besan, salt and water and refrigerate it overnight. Add the lemon juice and baking soda only in the morning, right before cooking.
Inspired by Dassana's Veg Recipes. Method, notes and photograph by the Ministry of Oats.
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