Uttappam (Savory Pancake)

This is a South Indian savory pancake, made from leftover idli or dosa batter. In this case, it was made from leftover Kanchipuram Idli batter of the other day. Actually, I don't know if uttappam are ever made from rava idli batter like this ("instant idli" made from sooji/rava/like Cream of Wheat, or here, Cream of Rice), or only from the traditional idli/dosa batter. Well, anyway, I did make it like this, and it was nice with sambhar (a soupy legume and veggie dish). This was my first time ever making uttappam.

• Pesarattu Upma 

• (Whole Green Mung Bean Dosa with Cream of Rice)

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• The Pesarattu/Moong Dal Dosa here, based on the recent recipe on YouTube by Easy Cooking with Ekta, is a South Indian "crepe" made of soaked and ground-up whole green mung beans. It is very hearty, and so, it could be good for someone who likes meat, but has to cut back. Here, it is filled with Upma, made from Cream of Rice (but usually made with sooji/rava/like Cream of Wheat), as well as tomatoes, yogurt, and spices. I understand, from what I've seen online recently, that this combination of Pesarattu and Upma is traditional. I think the two together, provide a successful balance, and am glad I tried the combination!

• The Upma recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking.

Easy Cooking with Ekta YouTube, Moong Dal Dosa / Pesarattu Recipe

• Kanchipuram Idli 

• (steamed South Indian dumplings)

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• The recipe called for Cream of Wheat (sooji/rava), but as I didn't have enough, I used Cream of Rice, instead. These also contain channa and urad dals, ground cashews, green peas, a little oil, whole-milk yogurt, cilantro, water, and salt. I hadn't made idlis in a long, long time, as I don't have the steamer. However, for this time, I improvised one, from a Nordic Ware egg poacher and a covered pan. To my surprise, it worked! Yay, Idlis! The recipe is from Classic Indian Vegetarian & Grain Cooking, by Julie Sahni.

Dalia 

(Cream of Rice Porridge 

with Dried Apricots)

This is based on a breakfast porridge from the Northwest Frontier area, now in Pakistan. The recipe is from Julie Sahni in Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. She says that the dish is usually made with an untreated cracked wheat, and suggests a substitute of bulger cracked wheat (which also cooks more quickly). As I can't have either, I used Cream of Rice, instead. The other ingredients I used are: coconut oil (instead of butter), milk, water, dried apricots, brown sugar (instead of jaggery), and ground almonds. I drizzled some honey on the dish in the photo, as well as sprinkled on a little cardamom. Sahni refers to its "lovely milk-fudge aroma," while I noticed the milk-fudge-y flavor. Yum! Good any time of the day, for a sweet and satisfying meal.