Uttapam

It is exciting to be part of Santa Clara district teaching Indian cooking class. It is my pleasure to be on the district list as the instructor, and I am happy to spread my love and knowledge of Indian cuisine to the community.

Few months back, I conducted 'Dosa Making Workshop'. My goal was to show the participants how to make a good dosa batter and to make perfectly crisp dosas. Participants also learned to make coconut chutney. sambar, and delicious onion and potato masala to go with dosas. It was a hands-on class where participants made and practiced dosas to perfection. Indeed. it was super fun, and I am excited to teach this class again on October 10th. Here is the link to the workshop: Dosa Making Workshop

While we were practicing dosas, participants had questions related to Uttapam. So what is Uttapam? I would say it is a thick cousin of dosa. :) It is a gluten-free pancake made with the fermented batter of rice and white lentils. With the topping of your choice, this can be a great 'Make your own Uttapam' party food! While I am a dosa fan but my husband enjoys Uttapam, and with the same batter I am able to satisfy different taste buds.

Ingredients:
Dosa Batter/Uttapam batter
1 part white lentils
3 parts rice floor
Water
Oil or butter for frying
Toppings of your choice

To make Uttapam batter:

• Wash and soak white lentil/urad dal in 3 cups of water overnight or for 6 to 8 hours. In a separate bowl, mix rice flour with 4 part of water to make a smooth batter. Cover and let it rest for same time as lentils. After 6 to 8 hours, remove water from lentils and grind to form a smooth paste. Mix the paste in rice flour batter. Mix well for 4-5 minutes. Cover and let the batter ferment in a warm place like oven or outside depending on the climatic conditions. The batter will ferment from anywhere from 8 hours to 18 hours. Do not leave the batter to ferment for more than 24 hours. After that batter should always be refrigerated to avoid growth of fungus.
• Mix salt to the batter and the batter is ready to make dosas or uttapam.
• Use a cast iron skillet or a non stick skillet. Heat it up well.
• Pour 1/2 cup batter on the skillet and spread it lightly depending upon the thickness of your desire. Add toppings of your choice. Add few drops of oil or ghee or butter and fry on both sides.
• Serve.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Onion Chilli Uttapam

Mini Uttapams made with variety of toppings.

Onion Tomato Uttapam

Onion Uttapam

Cheese Uttapam

Cheese Chilli Uttapam

Podi Uttapam

Schezwan Masala Uttapam

Masala Uttapam

Enjoy your Uttapam Party!

Comments are welcome, but please do not post comments with advertisement or outside links.

 

Kesar Pista Modak

We are invited for Ganesh Puja at Digvedekars. This is their traditional Gauri Ganpati puja/ritual, and they celebrate this day by inviting friends and fimily over for Arti, Prashad and special dry-fruit milk. It is lot of fun, and they set a wonderful example of being social in the community. So while we will go for the puja, I prepared Modaks to offer as Prashad. I am so looking forward to this evening.

Kesar with Pista is always a great combination. I love kesar pista kulfi so much that I thought of combining the two into modaks. This is a super duper easy recipe!

Ingredients (around 40-45 small modaks)
2+1/2 cups ground pistachios
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. ghee
Saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp. warm milk.

• In a pan mix sugar and milk. Heat it.
• Add saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp. milk.
• Bring the sugar syrup to boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Add pistachio powder and mix well till the mixtures starts to thicken slightly in 2-3 minutes.
• Add ghee and mix well.
• Turn of the heat.
• Pour the mixture on a silicon mat or a greased plate to let it cool.
• When cooled to touch (but still warm) massage well to make a soft dough. (you might have to grease your palms with ghee).
• Grease modak mould well and press the small quantity on pistachio mixture in the mould. Gently open and remove each modak. Set it aside and allow it to set well.
• Optional: Dip the top of modak in saffron dissolved hot milk and let the color set.

Note: If your mixture is very warm, you might not be able to make perfect modak shapes. Let the mixture cool a bit more. Also, greased the mould well with ghee for clean look on modak.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe

Gring pistachios in a food processor. Be careful not to over do it as it might release oil and get mushy.

In a pan mix sugar and milk. Heat it.

Add saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp. milk.

Bring the sugar syrup to boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add pistachio powder and mix well till the mixtures starts to thicken slightly in 2-3 minutes. 

Add ghee and mix well.

Turn of the heat.

Pour the mixture on a silicon mat or a greased plate to let it cool.

When cooled to touch (but still warm) massage well to make a soft dough. (you might have to grease your palms with ghee).

Grease modak mould well and press the small quantity on pistachio mixture in the mould. Gently open and remove each modak. Set it aside and allow it to set well.

Kesar Kopra Paak

Ganpati Bappa is here, and He is guarding and protecting our houses! These 10 days are so much fun, with lights, candles, sweet smell of incense and fresh flowers, bright and warm decorations. This festival is celebrated to make us social. Yes, by learning and making so many delicious sweets and distributing sweets in form of Prashad to our neighbors, friends, and family, we get close to our community. It is also fun to have friends over to sing songs in praise of Lord. While I write all this, I am definitely missing my days in India.

With 10 days of this festival, and sweets/prasad offered 2 times a day, many of you might be in search of quick and easy recipes. And that what Kopra Paak is. It is a traditional gujarati sweet made of fresh or dessicated coconut and is sure to please your God and your guests. Paak is a sweetmeat cooked in sugar syrup. In this case, coconut is cooked with milk and sugar. Saffron/kesar is optional.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. ghee

2+1/2 cup fresh coconut

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of saffron/kesar

1 tsp. cardamom powder

• In a pan, heat ghee and roast coconut for 3-4 minutes.
• Add milk and saffron, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Add sugar to the mixture. Mix in well and let coconut cook into sugar syrup. 
• Stir till the moisture evaporates and forms a lump.
• Meanwhile, grease a thali or plate and keep it ready.
• When the mixture is ready to pour, add cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Pour mixture in a greased plate and lightly spread it out.
• Sprinkle some cardamom powder on top.
• Let the mixture cool slightly and then divide into pieces.
• Serve when it  had cooled.

Note: If using dry/dessicated coconut: Heat 1/2 cup sugar and1/4 cup of milk. Bring it to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Add saffron if needed. Add 1 cup dessicated coconut. Mix well. As it starts to thicken, add cardamom powder. Pour into greased plate. Slightly cool and cut into pieces. Serve when cooled. Enjoy!!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

In a pan, heat ghee and roast coconut for 3-4 minutes.

Add milk and saffron, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add sugar to the mixture. Mix in well and let coconut cook into sugar syrup. 

Stir till the moisture evaporates and forms a lump.

Meanwhile, grease a thali or plate and keep it ready.

When the mixture is ready to pour, add cardamom powder. Mix well.

Pour mixture in a greased plate and lightly spread it out.

Sprinkle some cardamom powder on top.

Let the mixture cool slightly and then divide into pieces.

Serve when it  had cooled.

Ganpati Bappa Morya!