Uttapams with sambar and green coconut chutney

Also referred to as rice flour pizza, it was the southern Indians who first popularised this simple dish. As with pizza, half the fun is to be had with experimenting with toppings. You can make yours with bacon, sausage or egg if you like, but my favourite is with chopped tomatoes and green chillies.

When we travelled as a family through south India in 1982, we pretty much ate idlis, dosas and sambar for most of the trip. North Indian food had still not made it to Kerala then and I remember making our way to a shack at the end of Kovalam beach which was serving uttapams, Kerala parathas and a fish curry but everything was cooked in coconut oil. Trying to request the cook to use any other oil would have been futile as we didn't speak a word of Malayalam and they didn't speak any English or Hindi! My dad parked us all at the shack then walked to a grocer to pick up some regular vegetable oil and returned to ask the chef to cook with it. Thankfully, he obliged, and we all had freshly made uttapams with sambar and chutney. Uttapams remain a firm favourite of mine.

Making the batter from scratch is a little time consuming and messy but it's easy enough. For the batter take 80g rice and 20g of white urad lentils, a pinch of fenugreek seeds, soak in plenty water for an hour or so, then drain the water and make a batter using a stone grinder and by adding approximately 40ml water to grind. Grind to a smooth paste, leave to rest in a warm place for 4-6 hours until the batter begins to ferment and rise. Alternatively, make a trip to your local Asian shop or order online from hampshirefoods.co.uk and ask for a packet of Gits dosa mix!

Serves 4-6, about 12-14 pancakes
dosa mix (available from Asian shops) 400g packet, for the uttapam
vegetable or corn oil 1 tbsp
red onion 1, finely chopped
yellow pepper 1, finely diced (optional)
tomatoes 2 skinned, deseeded, finely diced
fresh coriander 2 tbsp, finely chopped
hot green chillies 4, finely chopped
green coconut chutney and sambar (see below) to serve

Make up the dosa mix according to the instructions on the packet. Spread a little oil over a large, heavy-based frying pan or a flat griddle and place over a medium heat. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of the batter into the centre of the pan and, using the back of a ladle, spread it out quickly with an outward circular motion to form a pancake about 10cm in diameter.

Dot the edges of the pancake with a little oil and sprinkle with some of the chopped vegetables and coriander to form a colourful topping. Cook over a low heat for about 4 minutes, until golden underneath. Turn over and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 12-14 pancakes altogether. Serve with the chutney and sambar, below.

GREEN COCONUT CHUTNEY
The traditional south Indian coconut chutney. This version is from the southern state of Karnataka.

coconut 1, grated
fresh coriander leaves 60g
fresh mint leaves 10g
green chillies 4, chopped
roasted chana dal 2 tbsp
salt 1 tsp
water 1 cup (optional)

For tempering:
vegetable or corn oil 1 tbsp
fresh curry leaves 10
mustard seeds ¼tsp

Put the coconut, coriander, mint, chillies, chana dal and salt in a stone-grinder and blend to a soft, spoonable consistency. Alternatively, if using a blender or food processor, add water little by little and blend to a soft, spoonable consistency. If you like your chutney wet, then add more water to get desired consistency, but remember to check seasoning with salt. To temper the chutney, heat the oil to smoking point and add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. As soon as the seeds start to crackle, add the chutney and remove the pan from the heat.

SAMBAR
This broth makes a hot, slightly sour accompaniment to dosa, uttapam and idli based breakfast dishes but can be served on its own with boiled rice.

For the sambar masala:
coriander seeds 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 2 tsp
chana dal 1 tbsp
dried red chillies 6
black peppercorns 1½ tsp
grated coconut 2 tbsp
fenugreek seeds ½ tsp
fresh curry leaves 1 sprig
toor dal 150g
ground turmeric ½ tbsp
salt 2 tbsp
vegetable and corn oil 1 tbsp
fresh curry leaves 1 sprig
red onion 1, sliced
small shallots 10, roughly chopped
green beans 50g, cut into 2.5cm lengths
carrots 2, cut into 2.5cm chunks
baby aubergines 2, quartered (or use 1 ordinary aubergine, cut into 2.5cm dice)
sambar masala (see recipe above) 2 tbsp
tamarind paste 3 tbsp
red chilli powder ½ tsp
sugar 1 tsp

For tempering:
vegetable or corn oil 1 tbsp
mustard seeds 1½ tsp
dried red chilli 1
asafoetida ¼ tsp
fresh curry leaves 1 sprig

First make the sambar masala. Grind all the ingredients to a powder in a spice grinder. Store in an airtight container and use within two weeks.

Wash the dal lentils in cold running water, then leave to soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and put them in a heavy-based pan with 600ml of water. Bring to the boil, skim off any scum from the surface, then add the turmeric and half the salt and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate pan, add the curry leaves and onion and sauté until the onion is soft. Add the shallots, green beans, carrots and aubergines and sauté for 5 minutes. Now add the sambar masala, tamarind and chilli powder and cook for another 5 minutes. Add this mixture to the simmering lentils and stir well, adding a little water if the mixture is too thick. Simmer until vegetables are soft, and add the sugar and the remaining salt.

To temper the mixture, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the dried chilli, asafoetida and curry leaves, give them a stir and pour the mixture over the broth. Mix well and serve.

Vivek Singh is executive chef and CEO of the Cinnamon Club in London