Uttapam

Uttapam is the small, thick pancake of the South Indian tawa: a fermented rice-and-urad batter poured into a fat round, topped with onion, tomato and green chilli, and cooked on medium heat until the crust browns and the middle steams soft. Where a dosa is paper-thin and crisp, an uttapam is a soft, savoury disc with a browned underside and a fluffy centre.

Topping order and heat do the work. The toppings go onto the raw batter the moment it is poured and are pressed in lightly, so they set into the surface instead of falling off at the flip. The heat stays medium throughout, because a high flame browns the crust before the thick middle cooks; the first side is ready when small holes open across the surface, and the flip finishes the top. A thicker batter helps: uttapam batter pours noticeably heavier than dosa batter.

Sona masoori is a medium-grain rice and makes a good uttapam batter. Add the toppings you like, but keep them finely chopped so they sit flat on the batter and cook through. The thin, crisp dosa comes from the same batter spread wide, and our guide to chawal (rice) covers the grain.