Mini Oothappam

Oothappam is such a great thing, it transforms wincingly sour dosa batter into a tasty tiffin. I love oothappams with milagai podi. My personal favourite is the onion oothappam. And usually this is the only oothappam that we regularly make at home. This time I tried the carrot and capsicum oothappams for some added colour and variety. I liked the capsicum one. But I thought the carrot oothappam needed a little something extra, maybe some sautéed onions or a sprinkling of milagai podi would have perked it up. I mixed the vegetables in with the batter retaining some for the topping. You could also use the veggies just for the topping without mixing them in. I prefer to sauté the onions lightly before mixing them in. You could skip this if you wish. This is a quick, tasty tiffin that takes less than 10 minutes.

You could try a whole lot of toppings for oothappams, just milagai podi, sautéed mushrooms and onions, scrambled eggs or lightly sautéed shredded cabbage and onions. Whatever you do, always add onions. Onion is the magic ingredient that balances out the tartness of the batter. I am sending this off to Srivalli’s Blogging Marathon for the theme – Mini Servings.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Makes: 12 Oothappams – 4 of each variety

Ingredients

Dosa batter – 2 cups preferably 2-3 day old
Onion – 1 small chopped fine
Green chillies – 2 chopped fine
Carrots – 1 grated
Green Capsicum – ½ a capsicum, seeds removed and diced
Oil – 2 tsp
Oil/Ghee – 2 tbsp

Method

1.      Divide the batter into 3 equal portions and have them handy in 3 bowls.

2.      Add 2 tsp oil to a kadai/pan and add the onions. Fry just until they turn translucent. Remove on to a plate. Set aside. In the same pan, lightly fry the capsicum for just a minute or so and remove on to a plate.

3.      Onion Oothappam - In the first bowl, add the sautéed onions and half the green chillies and mix well.

4.      Carrot Oothappam - To the second bowl add half 3/4^th of the grated carrot and retain the rest for topping. Add the remaining green chillies. Mix well.

5.      Capsicum Oothappam – To the third bowl, again add ¾ of the sautéed capsicum reserving the rest for the topping.

6.      Make one variety of Oothappam at a time but you can make several in one batch depending on your tawa size. Heat a heavy iron tawa/dosa tawa and when hot, pour a ladle full of the dosa batter. Don’t spread. Repeat to cover the entire surface or do one at a time whichever is convenient. Top with the reserved carrots for the carrot oothappam and capsicum for the capsicum oothappam. Cover the tawa with a lid and cook for ½ a minute to 1 minute till the bottom has browned lightly and the edges start curling up. Flip over and cook for half a minute. Remove on to a plate. Serve hot with idli milagai podi or chutney.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#31