Uttapam with sambar and coconut chutney

Ingredients for 4 portions

• 1 kgIdli/dosa batter, a few days old, slightly sour
• 2Onions, finely chopped
• 2Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 5Green chillies, finely chopped
• 5 tbspCoriander leaves, chopped
• 4 tbspRefined oil, for the tawa

On the side

• 100 gToor dal
• ≈ 1 lWater
• 1 mlTurmeric
• 1 tbspTamarind
• 12Small onions (shallots), peeled
• 1Tomato, in chunks, for the sambar
• 1 ½ tbspSambar powder
• 1 ½ tbspRefined oil, for the tadkas
• 1 tspMustard seeds
• 1 mlFenugreek seeds
• 3Dried red chillies
• 2 sprigsCurry leaves
• 1 mlHing (asafoetida)
• 100 gGrated coconut, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbspRoasted chana dal (pottukadalai)
• 1 tspUrad dal
• to tasteSalt

Method

1. Rinse the toor dal and put it in the pressure cooker with a third of the water and the turmeric.
2. Pressure-cook on medium for 4 whistles, about 15 minutes, and let the pressure drop by itself.
3. Soak the tamarind in a little hot water. Peel the small onions and cut the tomato for the sambar into chunks.
4. Squeeze the tamarind well in its water and strain the juice into a pot, discarding the pulp. Add the small onions, tomato, sambar powder, salt and half of the water and bring to the boil.
5. Boil until the small onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
6. For the chutney, grind the coconut, roasted chana dal, 2 of the green chillies and salt with the rest of the water in a mixie to a thick, smooth paste. Heat a third of the oil for the tadkas in a small pan, add half the mustard seeds, the urad dal, one dried red chilli and a sprig of curry leaves, and when they splutter, pour over the chutney.
7. Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, the rest of the green chillies and most of the coriander leaves for the topping and mix them in a bowl.
8. Mash the cooked dal smooth and stir it into the sambar. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sambar turns frothy on top.
9. For the sambar tadka, heat the rest of the oil and add the rest of the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds. When they splutter, add the remaining red chillies, curry leaves and hing, pour over the sambar and scatter over the rest of the coriander leaves.
10. Heat a tawa over a medium flame and wipe it with a little oil. Stir the batter, pour a ladleful into the middle and spread it gently into a thick round about 12 cm across. Scatter a spoonful of the topping over and press it in lightly, drizzle oil around the edge and cook until the underside is golden, about 3 minutes. Flip, press down and cook 2 minutes more, until the onions are lightly browned. Make two at a time if your tawa is big, and serve hot with the sambar and chutney.

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