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South Indian · Indian

Onion tomato uttapam

Vegetarian

ஊத்தப்பம் · ūttappam

Thick, soft pancakes of fermented rice and lentil batter, griddled with a topping of onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander pressed into the surface.

Onion tomato uttapam is a South Indian bread, ready in about 50 minutes and made with long-grain white rice and black gram (urad dal). It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Delicious South Indian Uttapam served with chutneys and a refreshing drink on a dark background.
Photo: Jack Baghel / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
25 min
Cook
25 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
322

Plus about 5 hours soaking and 8–12 hours fermenting.

Ingredients

4 servings (8 uttapams)

For the batter

For the topping

For cooking

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Grind the soaked rice, urad (opens in a new tab) dal and fenugreek (opens in a new tab) with the water to a thick, slightly coarse batter. Stir in the salt, cover and ferment 8–12 hours until bubbly.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Mix the onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), chilli, ginger and coriander together.

    • 3 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat a griddle and grease it lightly. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread gently into a thick 12 cm round. Scatter over the topping and press it in lightly.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Drizzle oil around the edge, cover and cook 2–3 minutes until the base is golden, then flip and cook the topping side 1–2 minutes. Repeat.

    • 20 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Tamil Nadu / South India, Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedMore food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Brunch · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Fermented, Pan-fried
Taste
savoury, sour, spicy (chilli heat), fresh
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Everyday · Uses leftovers
Cook more with
Long-grain white rice · Black gram (urad dal) · Fenugreek · Onion · Tomato · Green chilli
Techniques
Pan-frying · Fermentation

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

322 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 201 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 68%
  • Fat 21%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy322 kcal160 kcal
Protein8.7 g4.3 g
Carbohydrate54.7 g27.2 g
Net carbohydrate49.9 g24.8 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.8 g2.4 g
Fat7.5 g3.8 g
Saturated fat0.6 g0.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium597 mg297 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
362 mg
Calcium
56 mg
Iron
3.8 mg
Magnesium
68 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
17 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
242 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Uttapam is the classic way to use batter that has turned a little too sour for idli.

Common mistakes

  • Spreading the batter thin like a dosa — uttapam should be thick and soft.

Serve with

  • Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

Food safety

  • Ferment the batter covered in a clean bowl at warm room temperature (about 25–32 °C); refrigerate once it has risen.
  • Discard batter that smells rotten (not just sour) or shows pink, orange or fuzzy mould.

Storage

  • Best eaten hot; batter keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Structure

For the batter

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 10 h

    Bubbly on top, risen and smelling pleasantly sour.

  3. Rest · about 5 h

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  4. Bake · about 20 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  5. Start to finish: about 15 h 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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