Water Melon Rind Uthappam

Cooks in: 30 Minutes Serves: 3 People

The most popular part of the watermelon is the pink flesh, but like its cousin, the cucumber, the whole thing is edible. The white rind part generally goes into the waste bin! Actually many dishes can be prepared using this fibre rich, nutritious part. It helps in reducing blood pressure and weight loss . Try this quick and delicious Uthappam recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Barnyard Millet/Kudhiraivali
• 1.5 Cups Tightly packed Grated Watermelon Rind
• 4 - 5 Green Chillies
• 3/4 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Curd
• 1/4 Cup Sattu or Moong Dal Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Omam
• 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Asafoetida Powder
• 10 Chopped Curry Leaves

Directions:

1. Wash and Soak Millet for 2 hours. Drain. In a Blender add green chillies, drained millet, grated rind, salt and grind without water. The moisture from the veggie is enough to get a smooth thick batter.
2. Now add beaten curd, sattu, asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, ajwain and curry leaves. Mix everything. The batter should be thick like Adai batter or Idli batter. If it is too thick, add little water and adjust the consistency.
3. Heat a pan and pour a ladle full of batter and make uthappam. Sprinkle oil from sides. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for few minutes till the bottom portion becomes crisp. Flip and cook the other side with some oil.
4. Serve hot, delicious healthy uthappam with any chutney.

Note:

• 2 Tbsp of Moong dal can be soaked along with millet instead of adding flour. This will give little fluffiness to the Uthappam.
• Other millets like Foxtail, Little, Proso or Kodo can be used for this recipe.
• Sourdough bakers can use 2 tbsp of culture discard instead of curd to make it vegan. After grinding, add the discard and keep aside for approx. 2 hours before making uthappam.