Mini Uttapam (quick snack idea)

The most simplest breakfast and snack idea which i have adopted from south Indian cooking is rawa uttapam. You must be wondering that they look like idlis, yes the size is same as idli but the process is same as of uttapam. How i discovered them has a story attached to it. It was some festive time and guest were about to come, lunch was ready and the rawa batter was prepared, as it was decided to make button idlies for starters but unfortunately the screw of the idli's mould got lost, so quickly i thought that why not make uttapam instead. But guest have already arrived and if i would make the usual size then it won't be possible to serve them at once as a platter. So i thought that if mini size is made then four to five uttapams can be made at the same time and it would be possible to serve each one. Also they looked really cute then our normal size as kids enjoyed them a lot.   

The preparation time is 15-20 minutes as we need to soak the rawa and in the mean while vegetables can be cut. The cooking time is less as it takes 2-3 minutes to make a batch a 4-5 uttapam also depending on the size of  pan.

Ingredients used are:-

1. White rawa/ suji/semolina 1 cup
2. Curd/dahi 1/4 cup
3. Salt to taste
4. Garam masala 1tsp
5. Finely chopped Vegetables of choice(onion, tomato, chili)
6. Fresh coriander to garnish
7. Oil to fry 2 tbsp
8. Cashew half cut for garnish
9. Water

First of all add dahi, salt, garam masala and water to make a smooth paste, not very flowy and keep it aside. In the mean while chopp the vegetables and mix in the batter while keeping some of them for garnishing.
I have used cashew also which is entirely optional.

Once all the ingredients are mixed the batter looks as in the pic below. One must give time for rawa to swell and absorb water and after sometime one will observe that the batter has become bit thick.

After that heat the non stick pan or tawa. Spread little oil and using a spoon pour the batter on the tawa or skillet and spread in a circular pattern as shown. The vegetables which were kept for garnishing are now placed on the top of it so that they stick to the wet batter. Let them cook from one side and flip over so that other side can be cooked as well. Also i have sticked the cashew nuts and coriander leafs at this point of time only.

After frying they are ready to be served with a cup of tea or coffee. I served them with ketchup as it is handy all the time otherwise making a fresh chutney of coconut or tomato will give an authentic touch of south India.

Hope you enjoyed this cute and simple recipe!