Polydish city guide
Best Uttapam in New York
“Thicker than dosa, topped with vegetables, and steeped in Tamil culinary tradition since ancient times.”
What the real thing tastes like
An uttapam, uthappam, oothappam, uthapam, utapam or uttappam is a type of dosa from South India. Unlike a typical dosa, which is crisp and crepe-like, an uttapam is thicker, with toppings. The name is derived from the Tamil words appam and utthia or uttria, meaning "poured appam", because appam is cooked in a round-bottom pan, whereas utthia-appam is cooked on a flat skillet. Tamil ancient literature mentions it by name. The classic breakfast of Tamil residents consists of idli, dosas or uttappams mostly accompanied by sambar and chutney. It is similar to a dosa, but it has more vegetables and a longer preparation time.
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Uttapam is the thicker, vegetable-loaded cousin of the dosa—same South Indian lineage, completely different character. Where a dosa is all crisp edges and delicate crepe-like structure, an uttapam arrives puffy and substantial, topped with vegetables, cooked on a flat skillet rather than in a round-bottom pan. It's been feeding Tamil breakfasts since ancient times, often sharing the table with sambar and chutney, idli, and dosa.
Order it here when it has
- substantial and filling
- vegetable-loaded
- longer cooking develops flavor
- ancient culinary tradition
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