Sourdough Uttapam

It’s crazy to say but we are almost at the one year anniversary of the quarantine which means we are almost at the one year anniversary of when *everyone* embarked on their sourdough journey and wiped the shelves clean of flour. 

I *had* a sourdough starter, aptly named Phoebe after the bubbly and zany character from the sitcom Friends. However, in a tragic story of abandonment, I killed Phoebe.  

I was lucky that my friend Frances was gracious enough to give me another culture from the same starter that Phoebe originated from. And thus in the midst of a pandemic, Phoebe's identical sister, Ursula was born.

I made sure to feed Ursula more regularly since there wasn’t much else to do in the midst of the pandemic. Sometimes I even fed her more artisanal flour. This was in part due to my guilt for killing her sister but also out of necessity as the “regular” flour was nowhere in sight due to shortages.

Needless to say, Ursula has been thriving. But as y’all may know, from every feeding of your sourdough starter there is a lot of “discard” you don’t need. 

I embarked on a quest to create a recipe to put Ursula to even more use. I tried a couple of recipes but ultimately ended up being inspired by a savory South Indian pancake called Uttapam whose tangy flavor is comparable to that of sourdough. Uttapam is traditionally made from a fermented rice batter, but in my version I’ve swapped it out for the fermented sourdough. The batter is ladled onto a pan with a copious amount of ghee and then topped with fresh vegetables and herbs. You can swap in almost any veggies you have laying around, however onion or shallots are a must. They slightly char and caramelize when the pancake is flipped and impart a sweet flavor that balances out the sour. Enjoy this sourdough Uttapam on its own or use it to scoop up your favorite chutney or soak up some sambar.

Sourdough Uttapam (Savory South Indian Pancakes)

Shri Repp

Uttapam is traditionally made from a fermented rice batter, but in my version I’ve swapped it out for the fermented sourdough. 

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Lunch

Servings 4 pancakes

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

Uttapam Batter Ingredients

• 200 g (200 g) sourdough discard
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon sugar

Veggies

• 1 - 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 1 carrot grated or finely chopped
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 2 -3 Thai chilies finely chopped
• 1-2 springs of cilantro finely chopped (Optional)

Other

• 2 tablespoons ghee or butter

Instructions

 

Prep Ingredients

1. Thinly slice 1 - 2 shallots
2. Finely chop 1 carrot or use grated carrots
3. Finely chop 1 tomato
4. Finely chop 2 -3 Thai chilies

Main Recipe

1. In a medium bowl mix the 200 g sourdough discard, 2 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cumin powder½ teaspoon coriander powder, and ½ teaspoon sugar until a loose pancake consistency batter forms. If the batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it is your desired consitency.
2. Heat your skillet to medium heat and add enough ghee to grease the pan.
3. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter for each uttapam and sprinkle any combo of the shallots, carrot, tomato, and thai chilis onto the utttapam. Flip once you see bubbles on the surface and light browning on the sides of the pancake until both sides are golden. Eat while warm with sambar or coconut chutney.

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Notes and Tips

• Depending on how thick your sourdough discard is, you may have to add a bit more water to loosen it up.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @moonriceshri so I can see your amazing creation!