A favorite variety of uttapam that is served in the Udupi restaurants of Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra is the tasty Masala Uttapam. Another similar variant is the Sandwich Uttapam. These are made with a spiced Potato Masala, onions, tomatoes and spices. Here is the recipe with which you will be able to easily recreate the flavors of this street food at the comfort of your home. Follow the recipe, make this lovely variation of uttapam and enjoy with your near and dear ones.
About These Recipes
Within Indian food itself, there are so many ways a particular regional dish is made. Most of these are majorly an invention by the street vendors that cater to a large population in the day-to-day city lives. One such amazingly tasty dishes are Masala Uttapam and Sandwich Uttapam.
To make Masala Uttapam, the Uttapam, which is like a thick pancake, is topped with onions, tomatoes, ground spices and the potato masala. While in the Sandwich Uttapam, these veggies, spices and the potato stuffing are sandwiched between two layers of the cooked batter.
These recipes are also a favorite feature on the menus of the various Udupi eateries spread all across the cities of Mumbai and Pune. And, obviously, also available as street food in these cities.
Table of Contents
Idli, Masala Dosa and uttapams are often made as a weekend breakfast and I make many South Indian specialties with the leftover batter – like spiced savory Paniyaram, Sweet Paniyaram, Punugulu, etc. These are also such fusion recipes.
You can easily make this Masala Uttapam with leftover idli or Dosa Batter. The only extra thing that you’ll have to do for these uttapams is to make the potato or aloo masala separately.
Then, preparing these uttapams becomes very easy. In this post, I have mentioned the method of preparing the potato sabzi or bhaji or masala as well as the uttapams.
However, if you also have leftover Idli batter and any other similar leftover bhaji, just get them together and start making these uttapams at once. Your time will really be saved and reduced. The end result will be just as delicious.
Serve the Masala Uttapam or Sandwich Uttapam for breakfast or lunch or dinner along with Coconut Chutney and Sambar, and enjoy!
How to make Masala Uttapam
Boil Potatoes
1. Rinse and boil 5 medium potatoes in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker with just enough water covering the potatoes, on medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles.
2. When the pressure drops naturally on its own, then only open the lid. Remove the potatoes and let them become warm. Peel and chop them. Set aside.
Sauté Spices, Onions & Aromatics
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a kadai or pan. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle on low to medium-low heat.
4. Then, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and sauté until the cumin seeds crackle.
5. Next, add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 chopped green chili (1 teaspoon) and a pinch of asafoetida. Mix very well.
6. Next, add ½ cup chopped onions and 8 to 10 chopped curry leaves.
7. Mix very well and sauté until the onions turn translucent and are softened.
8. Next, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix very well.
Prepare Potato Masala
9. Add the chopped boiled potatoes and salt as per taste.
10. Add ½ cup water.
11. Mix very well and bring the curry to simmer on low to medium-low heat for about 4 to 5 minutes.
12. The curry will thicken slowly and gradually.
13. Lastly, turn off the heat and add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.
14. Mix well and keep aside. The curry should have a nice thick consistency and must not be runny or watery.
Make Masala Uttapam
15. Heat a well-seasoned iron tawa or a griddle or flat skillet. Use a kitchen paper towel or cotton cloth or an onion halve and dip in some oil. Using either of these, spread the oil on the tawa.
16. Keep the Idli or Dosa batter ready.
17. Now, pour a ladle full of the batter on the tawa. Cook the uttapams on medium-low or medium heat.
18. Spread the batter lightly to get a medium-thick or thick uttapam.
19. Add some chopped onions and chopped tomatoes on top evenly. Also, sprinkle some sambar powder and red chili powder.
You can also add green chilies, if you want, and even garam masala powder or pav bhaji masala powder instead of sambar powder, can be added.
20. With a spatula, press the onions and tomatoes on the top uncooked layer of the uttapam.
21. Then, add some butter. You can also use oil instead of butter.
22. Let the butter melt. With a spatula, spread the butter on the uttapam.
23. Then, add the prepared potato masala and spread it on the uttapam with a spatula.
24. When base turns crisp and golden, flip the Masala Uttapam.
Cook until the potato masala layer along with the onions and tomatoes turns slightly crispy and caramelized.
The uttapam should also be cooked well and there should be no uncooked batter in it.
25. Then, gently lift the Masala Uttapam and serve. If the potato masala sticks to the pan, scrape it and add back to the uttapam.
Make Sandwich Uttapam
26. To make this variation, you need to follow all the steps as above, until step 23, where you top the potato masala on the uttapam and spread it.
After spreading the potato masala, pour some batter evenly all over the masala covering it.
27. When the base turns crisp and golden, gently flip the uttapam. Cook this second side till it turns crisp and golden on medium-low to medium heat.
Drizzle some butter or oil at the sides if needed.
28. Flip and serve Sandwich Uttapam hot.
29. You can serve Masala Uttapam with coconut chutney or sambar or Idli Podi.
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Masala Uttapam | Sandwich Uttapam
Ingredients
For potato masala
- 5 potatoes – boiled or steamed, medium-sized
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger – finely chopped
- 1 green chilli – chopped or about 1 teaspoon
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 8 to 10 curry leaves – chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup water
- salt as required
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves – chopped, (cilantro)
Other ingredients
- 3 cups Idli Batter or Dosa Batter
- ½ cup onions – finely chopped
- ½ cup tomatoes – finely chopped
- Sambar Powder as required
- red chili powder as required
- Butter or oil as required
Instructions
Preparing potato masala
- Rinse and then boil the potatoes in a 3 litre pressure cooker with water covering the potatoes for 3 to 4 whistles on medium heat.
- When the pressure drops naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid. Remove the potatoes and let them become warm. Later peel and chop them. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a kadai (wok) or pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Next add cumin seeds and sauté until they crackle. Add finely chopped ginger, chopped green chillies and and a pinch of asafoetida. Mix very well.
- Add chopped onions and chopped curry leaves.
- Mix very well and sauté until the onions are softened and turn translucent.
- Then add turmeric powder (haldi) and mix very well.
- Add the chopped boiled potatoes and salt as per taste. Add ½ cup water.
- Mix very well and bring the curry to simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
- The curry will thicken as it simmers. When the curry or gravy has thickened after 4 to 5 minutes of simmering, turn off the heat. Note that the curry should not have a runny or watery consistency.
- Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix to combine.
- Mix well and keep aside.
Making masala uttapam
- Heat a tawa or a flat skillet. Using a kitchen paper towel or cotton cloth or an onion halve, spread oil on the tawa. Cook the uttapam on medium-low to medium heat.
- Pour a ladle full of the batter and spread lightly to get a medium-thick or thick uttapam.
- Then add some chopped onions and tomatoes. Also sprinkle some sambar masala powder and red chili powder. You can also add some finely chopped green chilies if you prefer.
- With a spatula press the onions and tomatoes on the top uncooked layer of the batter.
- Then add some butter and let it melt. You can also use oil instead of butter.
- With a spatula spread the butter on the uttapam.
- Next add the potato masala. Spread the potato masala evenly with the spatula on the uttapam.
- When base become crisp and golden, flip the masala uttapam.
- Cook till the potato masala layer gets slightly crispy and caramelized. The uttapam should also be cooked well and there should be no uncooked batter in it.
- Then gently lift the masala uttapam and serve.
For sandwich uttapam
- After topping the uttapam with potato masala and spreading it, pour some idli or dosa batter evenly all over the masala covering it.
- When the base becomes crispy and golden, then gently flip the uttapam.
- Cook this second side until the batter becomes crisp and golden. It has to cook well and there must not be undercooked batter. You can at this point drizzle some oil or softened butter at the sides if you prefer.
- Flip and serve Sandwich Uttapam hot or warm.
- Prepare either the Masala Uttapam or Sandwich Uttapam in batches.
- You can serve these Masala Uttapam or Sandwich Uttapam with coconut chutney or sambar.
Notes
- You can spice up the layers the way you like. Instead of sambar powder, opt to use pav bhaji masala powder or garam masala.
- You could also add some chopped capsicum, grated carrots or beets together with the onions and tomatoes.
- For a spicy vegetable layer, add more red chilli powder and include some finely chopped green chillies.
- In the potato masala, you can also include some green peas, either fresh or frozen.
- Leftover idli or dosa batter works well for this recipe. But make sure that the batter has not gone too sour.
- Add oil as butter as needed when cooking the uttapams.
- Use a well seasoned tawa or skillet so that the batter does not stick while cooking.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Masala Uttapam recipe from the blog archives was first published on January 2017. It has been updated and republished on May 2024.
