Uttapam is a flat rice bread from southern India.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (heaping) basmati rice
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup white lentils, peeled and finely chopped (Indian style, urad dal)
• 1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes
• 1 chopped green chili pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Ghee butter or any other ghee
• Sambhar (see recipe below)

Sambhar (South Indian Lentil Curry):

• 3/4 cup yellow lentils (Indian style, toor dal)
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced ​​into half rings
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup diced eggplant
• 20 g tamarind pulp (Indian dates)
• 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 3 dried red chili peppers
• 5 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 4 tbsp. grated fresh coconut
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground asafoetida
• Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 8 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

Preparation:

1. Rinse the rice and lentils separately in several changes of water. Soak each grain in a large pot of clean water for a couple of hours.
   
   Strain the rice and lentils, place them in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add a little water to form a thick paste.
   
   Add salt, sugar, and baking soda to the dough and whisk well. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours or up to 15 hours to complete the fermentation process.
2. In separate bowls, place chopped onion, diced tomatoes, chopped green chili and chopped cilantro.
   
   Heat a regular or nonstick frying pan. Grease it with a little ghee and pour in 2-3 tablespoons of batter. Using the back of a spoon, spread it evenly into a thick circle 10 cm in diameter.
   
   Spread some onion, tomatoes, green chili, and chopped cilantro on the surface and spread them evenly. Drizzle a little oil over and around the flatbread. Cook over low heat until small bubbles appear on the surface, about 5 minutes.
   
   Flip the flatbread over and fry the other side until crispy and golden. Alternatively, you can arrange the vegetables on the flatbread after baking and place it under a preheated broiler for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot with South Indian lentil curry (sambhar).
   
   Sambhar
   
   Heat half the oil in a frying pan and add the red chili pepper, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and grated coconut. Fry, stirring, for 5-10 minutes. Let cool.
   
   Rinse the yellow lentils in several changes of water and place them in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil, add ground turmeric, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
   
   Place the toasted spice mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth. When the lentils are soft and mushy, add the chopped onion, asafoetida, diced tomatoes, eggplant, and cooled coconut paste. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the tamarind pulp, salt to taste, and sugar, and cook for another 2 minutes.
   
   Heat the remaining oil in a separate pan, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. When they begin to sizzle, pour this mixture over the lentils and serve immediately with steamed rice. Serves: 4.