<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Victor Dolcourt wrote:

>Here is a variety of griddle cake that may be new to some of the list mates
>- Uttapams.
>
>You can buy the uttapam batter in the refrigerated section of an Indian
>market*, or you can make your own. If you buy the pre-made batter, you
>better cook up all of the uttapams at once and freeze them. The batter is an
>"active culture" and gets inedibly sour if you keep it several days in the
>refrigerator. I've done it both ways. The batter is easy to make. See
>http://base.google.com/base/a/1101971/D17154215801739722398 [...]

I'd caution against using just yeast for a ferment, as directed in the
web page above. The pre-made batters will be sour for a reason - they
are like sourdough bread, being a ferment of bacteria as well as yeast.
This is important for good digestion. A yeast ferment will not give you
the same results, either in taste or nutrition.

You can easily get the batter to ferment sour with the addition of a
little kefir, or failing that, some yoghurt or buttermilk. Kefir is best
because it will introduce a good mix of bacteria and yeast, much like
what you'd want for a sourdough ferment. Once you've got one batter
going, you can use the last teaspoonful of it to start a new batter
fermenting.

Uttapam are very similar in nature to some other tasty Indian breads:
dosa, dhokla, aida, pesarattu, and a cousin, idli. See links below for
more information. I find that you get better taste from soaked lentils
and brown rice, fresh-ground (in a blender) before fermenting, but it
still works OK with flours. Easiest to manage is dosa from white urad
dal and rice, but I've had success with brown rice and moong dal,
chickpea, green split pea, brown lentil, fava bean, and black eyed pea.
The key is to soak well first. Nice also when sprouted (as one link
below shows).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idli
http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=31133
http://www.indiacurry.com/recipessouth.htm
http://www.mahanandi.blogspot.com/2005/05/pesarattu.html
http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2005/06/12/sprouted-moong-dal-dosa/
( http://makeashorterlink.com/?U1E432F3D )

What I generally do is make dosa with brown rice and some form of
lentil. I soak the lentils and rice separately, for about 8 hours, then
grind in a blender, separately, before mixing together well with salt,
spices and a little of the last batter. Ingredients as follows:

1 cup lentils (e.g. white urad dal, split peas, etc.)
1.5 cups long grain rice (we prefer brown rice for flavour / nutrition)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp salt (non-iodised; better for fermented foods)

I use a blender to grind the lentils and rice. I find that with the
above ingredients, I use a cup of water with each and grind separately,
until a smooth batter. Use less water for idli, as you want a frothy
batter that rises well (like white bread).

To ferment, I keep the batter in a warm place - my oven, with the oven
light on. NB: just the light, not the oven itself! After about 8 hours,
it is fermented - I then put it into the fridge, so it doesn't get too
sour too quickly. I then use that batch within two days. 
-- 
Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia
"Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn"
- The Wee Book of Calvin

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