Yeast Free Vegan Vegetable Uttapam
These thick, savory South Indian pancakes are loaded with colorful vegetables and cooked until golden and slightly crisp at the edges — the kind of breakfast or brunch dish that feels both comforting and genuinely exciting. The batter starts with idli rice and urad dal soaked overnight, then ferments naturally at room temperature until it develops a gentle, pleasantly sour tang. That fermentation is the key to the whole thing: it creates lift and depth of flavor without any added leavening agents, making this a naturally yeast-free dish from the ground up. Once the batter is ready, a rainbow of diced tomato, red onion, green bell pepper, and fresh cilantro gets pressed right into each pancake before it hits the griddle, so every bite has a little char and crunch on top. The whole process is plant-based, relying entirely on rice, lentils, and fresh vegetables — no eggs, no dairy, no shortcuts. Served hot off a cast iron griddle alongside coconut chutney or sambar, these are the kind of pancakes that make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the category.
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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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