Uttapam with Tomato and Onion Topping

Batter

• 200 g Medium-grain rice
• 80 g Urad dal
• 1 ½ tsp Fine sea salt

Topping and coconut chutney

• 1 medium Yellow onion
• 1 medium Tomato, ripe but firm
• 10 g Fresh coriander
• 150 g Fresh coconut
• 1 piece Green chili pepper
• 10 g Ginger root
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 10 leaves Fresh curry leaf

1. Rinse the rice and urad dal separately under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Soak the rice in plenty of water for 6 hours, and soak the urad dal in plenty of water for 4 hours. Drain both well in a colander.
2. Blend the urad dal with a little water to a smooth, fluffy paste, scraping down the blender as needed. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Blend the rice with a little water to a smooth batter, then stir it into the urad dal.
3. Add the fine sea salt and mix well, then cover and leave to ferment in a warm place until lightly bubbly and slightly tangy. The batter should be thick but pourable; if it is very thick after fermenting, loosen with a splash of water. Fermenting time will vary with temperature.
4. For the topping, finely chop the yellow onion, dice the tomato, and finely chop most of the fresh coriander, reserving a little for serving. Mix the onion, tomato and chopped coriander together with a pinch of fine sea salt. Set aside while you make the chutney.
5. For the coconut chutney, roughly chop the fresh coconut, green chili pepper and ginger root. Blend with a little water to a thick, spoonable chutney, then scrape into a bowl. Add a pinch of fine sea salt to taste.
6. Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium heat and dry-toast the mustard seeds until they start to pop. Add the fresh curry leaf and toast for 10 to 20 seconds until fragrant. Tip this tempering straight into the chutney and stir through.
7. Heat the wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Ladle in batter to make 2 to 3 thick uttapams, spreading gently into rounds about 1 cm thick. Immediately scatter the tomato and onion topping over the surface and press it in lightly with the spatula.
8. Cook until the underside is golden and the top looks set around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the topping side for 1 to 2 minutes until the onion has softened slightly and the uttapam is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter and topping.

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