I got inspired to do this dish when I saw a pic of Beet Uttapam in Instagram. This dish is part of the breakfast menu at Pondicheri Cafe, located in Houston, USA. Their menu card reads “fermented rice and lentil pancake with coconut, ginger and topped with amul cheese and a fried egg / served with sautéed greens and a chutney of your choice” I wanted to make it for our weekend brunch as it was too good to pass.
Picture from Instagram – Pondicheri Cafe Houston
So here is my version of the beet uttapam. You will need idli batter for this recipe. Here is the recipe for idli batter. Idli Batter made in a mixie / food processor Idli Batter made in a wet grinder
Grind the peeled and chopped beetroot along with fresh shredded coconut and ginger. I added 2 tablespoon of water while grinding. Do not add a lot of water. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Take about 3 cups (750 ml) of idli batter into a bowl. Add in the beet mixture. Mix well to combine.
I love to cook my uttapam in a cast iron dosa pan. Here is where you can buy them.
Pondicheri style uttappam with cheese and egg.
Heat a heavy griddle until hot. Rub the surface of the griddle with a piece of napkin soaked in oil to grease the griddle. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle, slightly spread the batter on the griddle. Do not apply pressure on the ladle while spreading. Spread in concentric circles. Sprinkle with a little oil and let it cook for 30 seconds.
Flip the uttapam and add in a couple of tablespoon of grated cheese. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30 seconds more. The cheese would have melted.
Remove from the griddle and top it with a fried egg. Serve hot. I served the uttapam today with Tomato-onion chutney and Coconut chutney.
- 1 medium sized beetroot
- 2 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 750 ml idli batter
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoon sesame Oil for the griddle
- Optional – Fried eggs for topping
- Grind the peeled and chopped beetroot along with fresh shredded coconut and ginger. I added 2 tablespoon of water while grinding. Do not add a lot of water. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Take about 3 cups (750 ml) of idli batter into a bowl. Add in the beet mixture.
- Heat a heavy griddle until hot. Rub the surface of the griddle with a piece of napkin soaked in oil to grease the griddle. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle, slightly spread the batter on the griddle. Do not apply pressure on the ladle while spreading. Spread in concentric circles. Sprinkle with a little oil and let it cook for 30 seconds.
- Flip the uttapam and add in the grated cheese. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30 seconds more. The cheese would have melted.
- Remove from the griddle and top it with a fried egg. Serve hot.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
- 1 medium sized beetroot
- 2 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 750 ml idli batter
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoon sesame Oil for the griddle
- Optional – Fried eggs for topping
- Grind the peeled and chopped beetroot along with fresh shredded coconut and ginger. I added 2 tablespoon of water while grinding. Do not add a lot of water. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Take about 3 cups (750 ml) of idli batter into a bowl. Add in the beet mixture.
- Heat a heavy griddle until hot. Rub the surface of the griddle with a piece of napkin soaked in oil to grease the griddle. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle, slightly spread the batter on the griddle. Do not apply pressure on the ladle while spreading. Spread in concentric circles. Sprinkle with a little oil and let it cook for 30 seconds.
- Flip the uttapam and add in the grated cheese. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30 seconds more. The cheese would have melted.
- Remove from the griddle and top it with a fried egg. Serve hot.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/pondicheri-beet-uttapam/
There used to be a restaurant in San Diego called Antique Thai. We loved to go there. We would finish weekend chores, shopping and classes and head straight to Antique Thai for lunch on almost every Sunday. My son, a toddler then had a thing with restaurants. He did not like restaurants that were dark and dimly lit(ie in other words, cozy and romantic). So we would go to restaurants that were bright with the sun light. Antique Thai was bright and fit our ergonomic standards. The food was simple but very delicious. This soup came in as a part of their lunch set menu and I loved it so much. Its a simple clear soup with veggies and after a lot of tries, I have come to like this version of mine that comes as close to the original. Here it is.
We will make an aromatic broth with a trio of absolutely essential thai ingredients. We will need galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
The ingredients for the broth needs a little prep. Crush and chop the galangal roughly. Set aside. Lemon grass needs to be crushed a little to extract the flavors from it. Take the lemon grass stalk and cut into two inch pieces. Crush each of the piece using the back of a knife or a mallet or any heavy object. Next comes the kaffir lime leaves. They need to be bruised a little. Just tear the lime leaves and try crushing them gently in the palm. The ingredients for the broth are ready.
I like to make the broth in a pressure cooker. I used my 3 liter pressure cooker today. Add in the galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves along with two cups of water. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. It took about 5 minutes in the cooker. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle naturally. The kitchen would smell thai-licious now.
Strain the broth and set aside. The Thai elixir is ready!
To this strained broth add a veggie stock cube, steamed veggies and a little salt. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in the Tofu.
Serve hot!
- For the broth
- 2 inch piece Galangal
- 2 stalks Lemon Grass
- 10 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 2 Cups Water ( 500 ml)
- Veggies
- 1/2 cup diced steamed carrot
- 1/2 cup steamed green peas
- 1 cup Tofu, diced
- Other Ingredients
- 1 Veggie stock cube
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Crush and roughly chop the ingredients for the broth.
- Pressure cook the broth ingredients in 2 cups of water. Cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle naturally. Strain the broth and set aside.
- To this strained broth add a stock cube, steamed veggies and a little salt. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add in the Tofu.
- Serve hot!
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Thai
