Uttapam

It is poured thick and the toppings are pressed into the wet batter.

Vegan.

Ingredients

300 g rice, part parboiled and part long-grain
100 g whole white urad dal
2 teaspoons salt
2 onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
20 g coriander, chopped
oil, for the griddle

Method

IT IS POURED THICK AND THE TOPPINGS ARE PRESSED INTO THE WET BATTER. Its article makes both points: unlike a typical dosa, which is crisp and crepe-like, an uttapam is THICKER, with toppings -- and the name itself comes from words meaning POURED appam. So the batter is ladled on and left as a disc a centimetre thick rather than spread out, and the chopped onion, chilli and tomato go on while the top is still liquid and are pressed down with the back of the ladle so they set into it. Scattered on after the surface has set they fall off as soon as it is lifted.
THE RATIO IS ONE PART URAD TO THREE OF RICE. Its article gives exactly that, which is slightly less lentil than a dosa's 3:1 or 4:1 read the other way round. It makes a softer, less crisp batter, which is what a thick pour needs.
THE RICE IS A MIXTURE AND ITS ARTICLE SAYS SO. Part parboiled and part a regular long-grain or sona masoori. The parboiled gives body; the raw gives a cleaner taste.
SOAKED OVERNIGHT, GROUND, THEN FERMENTED UNTIL IT RISES. Its article's sequence. Eight hours or so, until visibly risen.
IT IS COOKED SLOWER AND LONGER THAN A DOSA. A medium rather than a high heat, four or five minutes on the first side with a lid on. A thick batter needs the middle cooked through, and a hot griddle burns the base before that happens.
IT IS TURNED, UNLIKE A DOSA. Once the top has set and the toppings have sunk in, flip it for a minute. The vegetables need direct heat to stop tasting raw.
OIL GOES ROUND THE RIM AND INTO THE HOLES. A thick batter leaves craters as it cooks; a teaspoon of oil drizzled over finds them and crisps the inside of the disc.
IT IS A WAY OF USING BATTER THAT HAS GONE TOO SOUR. Not in its article but worth saying: a day-old batter too sour for a plain dosa is improved by onion and chilli, which is part of why the dish exists in a house that keeps batter going.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

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