Fish Free Vegan Vegetable Uttapam
Uttapam is one of South India's most satisfying street foods — thick, spongy rice-and-lentil pancakes loaded with fresh vegetables and cooked until the edges go golden and the toppings get a little char. The batter is built entirely from idli rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds, fermented overnight so it develops that signature gentle tang before it ever hits the griddle. Colorful diced tomato, red onion, green bell pepper, and cilantro get pressed right into the surface, making every bite a little different. Because the whole dish is built from grains, legumes, and vegetables with a neutral cooking oil, there's nothing from the sea anywhere near it — no hidden anchovy paste, no fish sauce, no seafood-derived seasoning to track down and swap out. The fermentation step does require some planning ahead, but the hands-on work is minimal and the payoff is a deeply flavorful batter you simply can't get from a shortcut. Serve them straight off the cast iron with coconut chutney or a bowl of sambar on the side, and they disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the batter
- 2 cups idli rice or parboiled rice
- ½ cup urad dal (split black lentils, hulled)
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp salt
For the toppings
- 1 medium tomato, finely diced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 green chili, finely sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
For cooking
- 3–4 tbsp neutral oil, divided (for cooking)
For serving
- coconut chutney, for serving (optional)
- sambar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the idli rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds in a large bowl. Cover with cold water by at least 2 inches and soak for 6–8 hours or overnight.
- 2
Drain the soaked rice and lentils, reserving about 1 cup of the soaking water. Transfer to a blender and blend, adding the reserved soaking water a little at a time, until the batter is smooth and pourable — it should be slightly thicker than a crepe batter but thinner than a pancake batter, with a consistency similar to heavy cream. You may need up to 1 cup of water total.
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