Instant Uttapam - Savory Onion and Tomato Pancakes

Onion & Tomato Uttapam / Savory Pancake

Uttapam are savory pancakes. At my house my kids can eat this for  breakfast, lunch or dinner. I love the versatility it offers. You could incorporate a lot of veggies. It could be enjoyed with good old ketchup, green Cilantro Chutney , Mulagai podi(chutney powder) or Sambhar. Most of the time I  make it right from scratch. I presoak the rice and Urad dal(white lentil) separately and then grind them. Mix it well , add some salt and leave it for fermentation. This fermented batter is then used to make Idlis, Dosa and Uttapam.

Since I did not have any batter to make this , I googled for an instant recipe and came across the LOVE4COOKING  blog and followed the Instant Onion Uttapam recipe.

 Its a very easy recipe and the Uttapams/Pancakes came out great. My kids loved them and did not have much left to take some decent clicks. Now I would call it an almost instant recipe as we still have to keep the mixture aside for half an hour. But that half an hour goes quick..believe me. Also that time could be utilized for chopping the veggies (onion,tomato, green cilanto leaves, green chillies). If you still have some time left you could enjoy a cup of tea and watch your favorite show.

 

Ingredients :

 Instant Uttapam Mix

• 1 1/2 cup Semolina /Sooji/Rava
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 cup water
• salt to taste

 Preparation : Take 1 cup of yoghurt and mix about 1 cup water. Whisk it well. Make it like buttermilk consistency. Now to this add semolina and rice flour. Mix it well. Cover and keep it aside for half an hour for fermenting. Now chop the veggies (1 red onion, 1 tomato, 2-3 green chillies and a handful cilantro leaves).  After its been resting for 1/2 hour, the Uttapam mixture will be a bit dense as the semolina absorbs most of the water. Add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup water , mix it well. Add salt and the chopped veggies. Heat a griddle/Tawa.  When its hot, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle and spread in a circular motion. Apply some oil around the Uttapam. Once its cooked turn it and let it cook on the other side.   

Onion & Tomato Uttapam / Savory Pancake

Enjoy your Uttapam/Savory Pancakes with Sambhar, chutney or ketchup. This recipe yields 12-14 Uttapams/Pancakes.

Paneer and Mixed Vegetables Pulao - Cottage Cheese and Mixed Vegetables Pilaf

Paneer & Mixed Vegetables Pulao

Paneer & Mixed Vegetables Pulao

This is another quick and easy one pot meal. This recipe does not use onion and garlic. It really comes handy on certain auspicious days according to the Hindu calendar when we are required to cook without onion/garlic. Also many people are allergic to onion/garlic, so this recipe is for them as well. I know this first hand as my FIL(father-in-law) is allergic to garlic and when they were visiting us I cooked many dishes without garlic and many of them without onion as well.  I was really surprised at the results. Also, since I just love fresh herbs I try to incorporate a lot of that in my cooking as well. I happened to have fresh mint and had to use this in this recipe. I hope you like my minty flavoured Pulao.  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 cup paneer diced
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas,carrots, green pepper,red pepper)
• 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• a few fresh mint leaves
• 1 tomato chopped
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• cinnamon stick
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin-cilantro powder
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Preparation : Wash and Soak 2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water. Keep this aside for around 15-20 minutes.Heat some oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, black cardamom and cinnamon stick. Add the grated ginger. Fry for a minute. Next add green chillies , chopped tomatoes and mint leaves . Fry for about 2 minutes on medium flame. Add  the diced Paneer and mixed vegetables. Stir fry for about another couple minutes.Then add turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and cumin-coriander powder. Add rice with the water which we had kept aside earlier. Let this cook uncovered on medium flame. Now when you see that most of the water has dried up (like 85-90%) set the stove to the lowest flame and cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes.

Paneer & Mixed Vegetables Pulao is ready to serve. Serve with Raita of your choice.This recipe serves 4. Enjoy. Bon appetit !!!

Paneer & Mixed Vegetables Pulao