Uttapam — Thick Fermented Rice Pancake with Toppings (उत्तपम)

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — a breakfast staple in Udupi restaurants across India; associated with the Udupi Brahmin food tradition

Uttapam uses the same fermented dosa batter as a base but is made thick rather than thin — about 1cm rather than paper-thin — and toppings (onion, green chilli, tomato, coriander) are pressed into the uncooked surface immediately after the batter is spread, before covering and cooking. The fermentation biology is identical; what changes is the technique: more batter per pancake, spread with the back of a ladle in a circular motion, toppings placed and pressed into the wet surface, then covered to steam-cook the dense centre. The edges will brown and crisp while the centre remains moist.

With coconut chutney and sambar. The thickness of the uttapam means it holds up better to dipping in sambar than paper dosa.