As Sun shines bright on my window today in this chilly month of November, I craved for hot savory pancakes made by my mother called Uthappam. It is very popular breakfast item in South India made with black lentil and rice which are soaked, ground to form thick batter and then fermented for 6-8 hours and pan fried like pancakes to make Uthappams. It usually eaten with dips called chutney which is usually made with peanuts or fresh grated coconut or tomatoes along with spices and herbs. With no batter ready today, I needed something instant to make these yummies. And it is Quaker Instant Oats which sits in my pantry waiting to be picked and cooked to porridge. I did pick it, but to make these delicious pancakes

I made Uthappams with oats, semolina (sooji or rawa) mixed with buttermilk. I used teaspoons of chickpea flour and rice flour to give nice binding and flavored with spring onions and red bell peppers. These Uthappams were nice crisp with semolina and soft with ground oats and slightly sour with buttermilk. Red pepper and spring onion bulbs along with cumin seeds gave nice sweet and spicy dimension that there was actually no need of any other spicy dip or chutney. Serve these spicy, savory and healthy pancakes for breakfast or cut it like pizza for a quick snack.

Oats Uthappam

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Quick Cooking Oats/Instant Oats: 1/2 cup

Semolina: 1/2 cup

Rice Flour: 2 tbsp

Chickpea Flour: 2 tbsp

Buttermilk: 1 1/2 cup (I used 3/4 low fat yogurt and 3/4 cup water)

Red Capsicum: 2 tbsp, chopped

Spring Onion Bulbs: 2 tbsp, chopped

Spring Onion Greens: 2 tbsp, chopped (for garnish)

Tomatoes: 2 tbsp, deseeded and chopped (for garnish)

Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp

Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp

Salt: 1/2 tsp, as required

Procedure:

1. Take a large bowl, add oats, semolina, rice flour, chickpea flour and yogurt to make thick batter(Add water if batter is too thick)
2. Add chopped spring onion bulbs, red bell peppers and cumin seeds
3. Transfer to blender and blend to a smooth batter   (The batter should not be too thin like dosa/crepes. Adjust the consistency with by adding rice flour or water)
4. Add baking soda, salt and let rest for 10 mins (not mandatory)
5. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and lightly grease it. Pour batter with ladle to form a medium size pancakes.
6. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes and spring onion greens and pour few drops of oil around it and on it. Cover with a lid and cook until golden brown
7. When bubbles form on the top, flip the pancake and again cover it and cook thoroughly for 2 mins
8. Serve with ketchup, chutney or any home made dips