Tomato Sevai | Tomato Idiyappam Recipe | Thakkali Sevai

Tomato Sevai recipe with step by step photos.Tomato idiyappam or Tomato Shavige is an additional idiyappam(or sevai) variety which is apart from the usual varieties like lemon sevai,tamarind sevai and coconut sevai recipes.Freshly pressed Shavige which we call as Otthu shavige is one of my most favorite breakfast varieties and we usually make a sweet kheer made out of khus khus and jaggery and also a spicy variety usually lemon shavige, this is considered one of our traditional breakfast and is prepared on special occasions.However it is tedious to prepare fresh shavige at home and also we are getting the freshly made shavige easily in the markets.I find the preparation process of tamil version-Idiyappam is lot easier compared to shavige and also the usage of instant rice noodles available in the market is making our lives lot easier.I use Anil brand instant rice vermicelli and I am quite happy with it.

Tomato shavige is prepared in a similar way we make tomato rice and one can customize it easily according to each personal preference.We usually add a handful of green peas and few cashewnuts in lemon sevai and tomato sevai where as we add groundnuts in tamarind sevai as they complement well in their respective dishes.You can even add grated carrot in the tomato sevai which balances the tartness from the tomatoes.

Check out other sevai recipes in my blog:

• Ottu Shavige | Homemade Rice Noodles(String Hoppers)
• Lemon Sevai | Khara Shavige | Lemony Rice Noodles
• Coconut Shavige/Coconut Rice Noodles
• Tangy Tamarind Shavige

Here is how to make tomato sevai recipe with step by step photos.
Tomato Sevai | Thakkali Sevai Recipe:

serves 2

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked Sevai(instant sevai) or freshly prepared Idiyappam/shavige

1 big Onion,finely chopped

2 large Tomatoes,finely chopped

2 tsp chopped Coriander leaves

1/4 cup frozen Peas

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

2 Green chilies,slit

Salt, to taste

to temper:

2 tbsp Oil(sesame or any other oil)

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 tbsp chopped Cashewnuts

1 tbsp Chana dal

1/2 tbsp Urad dal

a sprig of Curry leaves

Method:

• If you are using instant rice vermicelli,prepare the rice vermicelli as per the instructions given on the pack.Cool it completely.
• Blanch the green peas in hot water for few mins and drain them.
• Heat oil in a big kadai and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add chana dal,urad dal,cashew nuts and fry until they turn slight golden in color.

• Add green peas and green chilies and fry for 3-4 minutes until the green chilies wilt and green peas gets fried nicely.
• Add finely chopped onions and curry leaves and fry until they become translucent.

• Now add chopped tomato,salt and turmeric powder and cook for 4-5 mins until the mixture becomes pulpy.

• Add red chili powder and fry nicely until the mixture leaves the oil at the edges,switch off the flame.Leave it for 5 mins.

• Add prepared rice vermicelli to the tempering mixture and chopped coriander and mix it nicely until everything is incorporated well.Taste it and adjust the seasoning according to your wish.

Serve it warm with coconut chutney,potato chips or sliced cucumber.

Notes:

1. Cashew nuts add better taste to it,so do not skip it.
2. Instead of green peas you can even add 3-4 tbsp grated carrot while frying the onions,this balancess the tangyness of the tomatoes.
3. You can use sambar powder in the recipe instead of red chili powder.
4. If you are using instant rice vermicelli,boil a big pot of water with a tsp of oil and salt and then add instant rice vermicelli noodles and cook it for 8-10 mins approximately(see your pack for clear instructions) and strain it and give it a cold water bath and drain off the excess water.Spread it on a wide plate until it becomes cold and follow the recipe.

Technorati Tags: tomato sevai recipe,thakkali sevai,tomato idiyappam,instant tomato idiyappam recipe,idiyappam recipes,idiyappam varities,south indian breakfast varieties,sevai recipes,sevai varieties,shavige recipes,shavige varieties,tamilnadu breakfast recipes

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Little Millet Upma Recipe | Samai Upma | Millet Recipes

Little millet upma recipe with step by step photos.Millets have been widely used these days across the country because of their various health benefits.Millets are gluten free and have high nutritional values and also they have the capacity to reduce the risk of heart disease and few other.They are also an excellent source of protein and fiber and have low glycemic index.It is good to include these milllets in your diet regularly.

I use various millet flours like Ragi,Jowar,Bajra regularly in the form of bhakris and rotis and I use the whole millets occasionally.These whole millets like Little millet,kodo millet,barnyard millet and foxtail millet can be cooked as whole and can be eaten with curries and stews instead of rice.Millets can be used in various breakfast varieties like upma,pongal,idli,dosa etc and follow the same process by substituting rice and rawa with the millets in the recipe.

Check out other millet recipes in my blog - Foxtail millet kheer,Wheat-Jowar grains salad,Multigrain Sprouts Salad,Multigrain Dosa,Sadda Rottelu,Teepi Sadda Rottelu,Thalipeeth,Ragi rava Upma, Ragi Rotti, Masala Jowar Rotti and Masala Sajja Rotti.

Here is how to make little millet upma recipe with step by step photos:

Little Millet Upma Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 25 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

1 cup Little millets/Samai(or any other millet)

2.5 cups Water

3/4 cup chopped mixed Vegetables(beans,carrot,peas,capsicum etc)

2-3 tbsp grated fresh/frozen Coconut

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

1 Onion,sliced

2-3 Green chilies, slit and chopped

juice of 1/2 Lemon

a sprig of Curry leaves

1 tbsp Chana dal

2 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1.5 tbsp Oil

Salt, to taste

Method:

• Dry roast little millets for 2-3 minutes, you do not need to roast until they change color.

• In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and crackle mustard seeds and then add chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn slight red in color.
• Now add slit green chilies,curry leaves and fry until the chilies wilt.
• Add sliced onions and fry until the onions turn translucent and then add chopped vegetables and fry them for 2-3 minutes.

• Add 2.5 cups of water,salt and let the water come to a boil.
• Once the water starts boiling add the roasted millets and keep stirring constantly and cover it and let it cook on sim for another 4-5 minutes until the water has been absorbed.

• Add grated coconut,coriander leaves and lemon juice and give a nice stir, switch off the flame and cover it and let it sit for another 5 mins.

Mix again and serve hot with chutney/pickle/chips.

Notes:

1. One can use any other millets like proso millet, foxtail millet, ragi rava, kodo millet etc and the regular rava, rice rava,lapsi rawa,bansi rawa etc and follow the same process.
2. Roasting the millets ensures that the upma will not become sticky and also gives a nice flavor,so do not skip this step.
3. If you want the upma to be very soft add 1c millets:3c water,if you want it bit dry then add it in the ratio of 1c rawa:2 1/2 c water.
4. You can add some ghee on top while serving.

Technorati Tags: millet upma recipe,millets recipes,little millets recipes,healthy breakfast recipes,breakfast recipes,south Indian breakfast recipes

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Ragi Rava Upma | Finger Millet Rava Upma | Millet Recipes

Millets have been widely used in many of the households these days. There are various millets available and many have replaced rice with the millets  as they are extremely healthy. When I came across Ragi rava(sooji made out of finger millets) during my grocery shopping I was amazed to see the healthy variations available in the market these days and picked up a pack to try it.

I had prepared ragi rava upma and idli using the ragi rava and both have turned out very nice. This upma has a very earthy taste to it because of the ragi sooji and the addition of vegetables makes it more nutritious.My mom used to prepare another version of ragi upma using ragi flour which is a bit laborious process which I should try to post some other time.But if you can get hold of ragi rava do try this upma to include those healthy millets in your regular diet.

Check out other upma recipes here:

• Avarekalu Akki Tari Uppittu | Rice Rava Upma with Flat Beans
• Godhuma Rava Upma/Lapsi Rava Upma
• Kayi Biyyam Uppindi / Coconut-Rice Upma
• Kharabath..Bramhins Coffee Bar Style
• Multigrain Upma | Multigrain Sprouts Upma
• Pulusu Upma | Tangy Tamarind Upma
• Sooji Upma/Upittu/Rawa Upma
• Masala Upma
• Rava Vangibath

Ragi Rava Upma Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

1 cup Ragi rawa

1 large Onion,sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped vegetables(carrots,beans,capsicum,peas)

3-4 Green chillies,slit

2-3 tbsp grated fresh Coconut

2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 tbsp Groundnuts

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1 tbsp Chana dal

2 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2-3 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

• Dry roast ragi rawa(sooji) in a kadai until the nice aroma starts from it.Remove it from the pan and let it cool.You can even roast rawa in a tsp of ghee which also gives a nice flavor to upma.

• Heat oil in a thick aluminium kadai(which is ideal for making upma) or non-stick kadai and crackle mustard seeds.Add chana dal,ground nuts and urad dal and roast until they turn golden brown.
• Add slit green chillies and curry leaves and fry them until they wilt.Add sliced onions and fry them until they are pink in color.

• Add finely chopped vegetables to it and fry well for 3-4 mins until the vegetables are partially cooked.
• Mean while boil 3 cups of water(1c rawa:3c water) in another vessel until it reaches the boiling point.
• Pour the hot boiling water into the upma kadai where onions and vegetables are fried and let it boil again.Add required amount of salt to it.

• Now pour the ragi rawa with one hand and keep stirring with another hand using a ladle,make sure you make this process very quickly otherwise you will end up having lumpy upma.

• Once everything is mixed,keep the lid on and cook it on low flame for 2-3 mins.

• Add ghee,coriander,grated coconut and lemon juice to it and mix well.
• Cover it and let it sit for 4-5 mins before you serve.

Serve it hot with some boondi/chips/cucumber and coconut chutney.

Notes:

1. Roasting the rawa ensures that the upma will not become sticky and also gives a nice flavor,so do not skip this step.
2. Boiling the water separately and adding it to upma is also another key step to get nice and soft upma.
3. If you want the upma to be very soft add 1c rawa:3c water,if you want it bit dry then add it in the ratio of 1c rawa:2 1/2 c water.
4. Instead of ragi rawa you can use bansi(kesar) rawa or regular rawa or lapsi rava and follow the same recipe.
5. For a Vegan version avoid ghee in the recipe.

Technorati Tags: ragi rava upma, upma varieties, upma recipes, finger millet recipes, breakfast varieties, diabetic friendly recipes, south indian, andhra recipes, karnataka recipes

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Semiya Pulihora | Vermicelli Pulihora | Navratri Recipes

 

I am sure many of us prepare various kind of Upma Varieties on daily basis as it is the most easiest breakfast options.DH is not fond of the regular Sooji Upma and he likes to eat it in the form of Kharabath but he is really fond of  Vermicelli Upma.Hence I prepare Vermicelli upma quite often and recently when my mom prepared this Semiya Pulihora he just loved it and started asking me to prepare this Semiya Pulihora than the regular Semiya Upma.

Semiya Pulihora is prepared in the similar way like how we prepare Lemon Sevai and my mom uses generous quantity of cashew nuts and green peas in the recipe instead of ground nuts which makes it even more delicious.It is a very simple recipe for breakfast,try it for a change instead of the regular Semiya Upma. You can even prepare this as a naivedyam for Navratri, for complete collection of Navaratri recipes,check out here.
In case if you are interested check out other Upma Varieties in my blog - Semiya Upma, Sooji Upma, Masala Upma, Lapsi Rava Upma, Semiya Upma, Murmur(Puffed Rice) Upma, Avarekalu Uppittu, Oats Kharabath, Rice Coconut Upma, Saggubiyyam(Sago) Upma , Kharabath and Atukula(Flattened Rice) Upma.

Semiya Pulihora Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Prep time:5 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:25 mins + to prepare shavige

Cuisine: Andhra/Karnataka-South Indian | Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

1 cup Semiya/Vermicelli or 1/2 small pack(200 gms pack)

1/2 cup fresh/frozen Green Peas

12-15 Cashew nuts,slit

8-10 Green chillies,slit

juice of 1 big Lemon

3-4 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander leaves

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

a sprig of Curry leaves

1 tbsp Chana dal

2 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

3 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat a tsp of oil and add vermicelli and roast it slightly until they turn slight brown in color.Do not fry for long just fry until light brown and you get nice aroma.Cool the vermicelli.
• Bring a pot of ware to boil and add a tsp of salt and oil and add vermicelli and boil it until it is done,it takes around 7-8 mins.Strain and give a cold water bath immediately to stop the further process of cooking.Cool it completely.
• Blanch the green peas in hot water for few mins and drain them.
• Heat oil in a big kadai and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add chana dal,urad dal,cashew nuts and fry until they turn slight golden in color.
• Add green peas and green chillies and fry for 3-4 minutes until the green chillies wilt and green peas gets fried nicely.
• Add curry leaves and fry and then add turmeric powder and enough salt and switch off the flame.Leave it for 5 mins.
• Add prepared cooked vermicelli to the tempering mixture and add lemon juice and chopped coriander and mix it nicely until everything is incorporated well.Taste it and adjust the seasoning according to your wish.

Serve it warm with coconut chutney,potato chips or sliced cucumber.

Notes:

1. I like to prepare this spicy and tangy and hence I add more green chillies and lemon to it,you adjust it according to your taste buds.
2. Cashew nuts add better taste to it,so do not skip it.Alternatively you can use ground nuts instead of cashews in the recipe and avoid green peas too.
3. You can follow the same recipe to prepare rice vermicelli by following the same procedure.

Technorati Tags: semiya pulihora, semiya recipes, breakfast recipes, pulihora varieties, festival recipes, how to make pulihora, andhra recipes

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Avarekalu Akki Tari Uppittu | Rice Rava Upma with Flat Beans

During Avarekai season, my mom prepares various varieties ranging from simple snacks to sweets, and uses it in many breakfast and lunch varieties (Usli,saaru, curry, dal, rotti, upma etc.).Not everyone would like these beans for the first time. Its an acquired taste and it was the same with me. I never liked it as a child but now I like it and do not miss preparing a few favorite varieties with them during the season.

We do get good Avarekaalu even in Mumbai and during the season I buy them in large quantities and try to store them in a freezer for later use.I use them in various recipes if I want to add some extra flavor to it.These beans lends a different flavor and taste to the dish if added in moderate amounts.I usually add them in upma,rotti and sometime pair it up with brinjal or aloo. I am sharing a simple Upma recipe today using rice rava and these hyacinth beans.

Avarekalu Akki Tari Uppittu Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Rava

2 cups Water

1/3 cup tender Hyacinth beans(avarekalu)

1/4 cup grated Fresh Coconut

1 medium Onion,sliced(optional)

3-4 Green chillies,slit

4-5 Pepper corns,slightly crushed

8-10 Curry leaves

1 tsp Urad dal

1 tsp Chana dal

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

• Pressure cook the tender hyacinth beans for 2-3 whistles with salt until they are cooked.Drain them and keep them aside.
• Dry roast rice rawa for 2-3 mins ,it does not need to change its color.
• Heat oil and ghee in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add chana dal,urad dal and fry until they turn bit red in color.
• Add slit green chillies,curry leaves,crushed pepper corns and fry until the green chillies wilt.
• If you are using onions,add sliced onions at this stage and fry them well.
• Add cooked and drained hyacinth beans to it and fry well.
• Add 2 cups of water and cover it with lid and let it come to a boil.
• Add enough salt and roasted rice rava and stir it nicely and cover it and cook for 4-5 mins until the water is absorbed.
• Add grated coconut at the end and give a nice stir.

Serve it hot with Lemon Pickle /Avakai /Mango Thokku /Podi and sliced cucumber/chips.

Notes:

1. The addition of onion is entirely optional,I like to add onions in upma and hence I added.It is your personal choice.
2. You can even skip the addition of chana dal and urad dal in the recipe and just give simple tempering of mustard and cumin seeds.
3. Green chillies can be replaced by red chillies or you can use both the chillies in the recipe.It is your wish.
4. You can add chopped dill leaves for additional flavor.If you are adding them you need to saute them in oil before you add water to it.
5. The quantity of hyacinth beans can be increased even to 3/4th cup- 1 cup which depends on your choice.
6. You can follow the same recipe and replace rice rava with normal sooji or bansi rava and make regular upma.You can increase the water quantity to 2 1/2 cups if you want a soft upma.

Also check out other Avarekalu recipes in my blog here.

• Avarekalu Benne Usli with Utta rotti
• Pithikipappu(Special Avarekalu dal) with Bilavalige(Rice flour Rotti)
• Avarekalu Kadubu(Tiny Rice flour balls snack with Hyacinth beans)

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GODHUMA RAVA UPMA | BROKEN WHEAT VEGETABLE UPMA

I don't use broken wheat at home as TH is allergic to it and hence I don't prepare Lapsi rava upma.I make regular Upma only when I am alone as he is not fond of even simple upma.Semiya upma occurs frequently in out breakfast menu when I run out of ideas and need something quick.Though he likes Kharabath I do not make on regular basis because of its ghee dosage.
I made this upma recently when my in laws were here last week.I used a finer variety of Lapsi rava as I don't like the very coarse texture of lapsi.I added lot of vegetables to upma to add nutrition to it,it is your wish to make it simple plain upma or to add some zing by adding some veggies and masala to upma.

Godhuma Rava Upma | Lapsi Upma:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 cup fine Lapsi Rawa/Broken wheat rawa
2 medium Onions,sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped vegetables(carrots,beans,capsicum,peas)
3-4 Green chillies,slit
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder(optional)
1/2" Ginger,chopped
a sprig of Curry leaves
8-10 Cashew nuts,broken
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Chana dal
2 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2-3 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
Method:

• Dry roast lapsi rawa(sooji) in a kadai until the nice aroma starts from it.Remove it from the pan and let it cool.You can even roast rawa in a tsp of ghee which also gives a nice flavor to upma.
• Microwave the vegetables for 2-3 mins,just par boil them.
• Heat oil in a thick aluminium kadai(which is ideal for making upma) or non-stick kadai and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add chana dal,cashew nuts and urad dal and roast until they turn golden brown.
• Add slit green chillies,chopped ginger and curry leaves and fry them until they wilt.
• Add sliced onions and fry them until they are pink in color.Add turmeric powder to it.
• Add microwaved vegetables to it and fry well.
• Mean while boil 3 cups of water(1c rawa:3c water) in another vessel until it reaches the boiling point.
• Pour the hot boiling water into the upma kadai where onions and vegetables are fried and let it boil again.
• Add required amount of salt to it.
• Now pour the lapsi rawa with one hand and keep stirring with another hand using a ladle,make sure you make this process very quickly otherwise you will end up having lumpy upma.
• Once everything is mixed,keep the lid on and cook it on low flame for 2-3 mins.
• Add ghee,coriander,grated coconut and lemon juice to it and mix well.
• Cover it and let it sit for 4-5 mins before you serve.

Serve it hot with some boondi/chips/cucumber and coconut chutney.
Notes:

1. Roasting the rawa ensures that the upma will not become sticky and also gives a nice flavor,so do not skip this step.
2. Boiling the water separately and adding it to upma is also another key step to get nice and soft upma.
3. If you want the upma to be very soft add 1c rawa:3c water,if you want it bit dry then add it in the ratio of 1c rawa:2 1/2 c water.
4. You can add extra ghee while serving it.
5. You can add 1/4 tsp of Garam masala to add extra zing to upma.Add after roasting the veggies.
6. For a Vegan version avoid ghee in the recipe.

Variations:

• Instead of Lapsi rawa you can use bansi(kesar) rawa or regular rawa and follow the same recipe.

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Oats Kharabath | Indian Oats Recipes

Kharabath is a specialty of Karnataka and is available in almost all upahara darshinis in Bangalore.I have earlier posted the recipe of authentic kharabath here.Today's recipe is a twist to the regular kharabath as I used oats and adapted the same kharabath recipe.Oats is one of the not-so-interesting things to eat as it turns out bit sticky when cooked and hence I am not very fond of regular upma made with oats.But this kharabath recipe does a trick in spicing up the boring oats and also improves the texture of oats with not much of stickiness.Generally kharabath is made very rich with a good amount of ghee in it,it is completely left to your choice to use it but it is highly recommended at least in small quantity to get the texture and taste of it.One thing I can assure you is this Oats Kharabath tastes really good though not comparatively as good as the regular kharabath(with rawa) but definitely better than the boring oats upma.I suggest you to go ahead with the recipe if you want to include healthy oats in your diet.

Oats Kharabath Recipe:
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 heaped cup quick cooking oats(I used quaker)
1 big onion,roughly chopped(neither too fine nor too big)
2 tomatoes,finely chopped
1 small carrot,finely chopped
1 small capsicum,finely chopped
3-4 green chillies,finely chopped
3/4 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander
juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp lemon juice
6-8 cashew nuts,broken
salt to taste
1 tbsp ghee

for tadka:
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves
2 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee

Method:

• Dry roast the oats over medium flame for 2-3 mins until to remove the raw smell from it.This also helps in getting not so sticky upma,so its mandatory to follow this process.
• Heat oil and ghee in a thick kadai and crackle mustard seeds.Add chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn red and then add finely chopped green chillies,curry leaves and fry well for a couple of minutes.
• Add chopped onions and fry until they turn pink in color.Add ginger-garlic paste to it and fry until the raw smell goes away.
• Add chopped carrots and fry well again for a couple of minutes.Add chopped tomatoes and fry until they become mushy.
• Mean while in another vessel bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil.Always use proportions of 1 oats : 2 1/2 - 3 cups of water depending on the consistency you need.
• Once the tomatoes become mushy add chopped capsicum,turmeric powder,red chilli powder and garam masala and fry well until the masalas are well mixed and fried.
• Add boiling water to it and let the water come to a boiling point again and add enough salt to it.
• Add toasted oats and quickly stir and cover it with lid and cook for 3-4 mins until the water is absorbed and oats are cooked properly.
• Meanwhile heat ghee in a small pan and add cashew nuts to it and fry until they turn light golden in color.
• Add chopped coriander and lemon juice to it and give a nice stir.When you are removing it from stove add fried cashew nuts along with ghee over it and mix it nicely and switch off the flame.Let it rest for 3-4 mins with the lid covered.

Serve it hot with some potato wafers or boondi on top.This can be eaten on its own as it has all spices in it,if you still want you can serve it with coconut chutney.

Notes:

• Always eat this hot and try to keep it for long,otherwise it will turn sticky.
• Dry roasting the oats is necessary to get a not-so-sticky kharabath.
• You can even add fresh/frozen peas,finely chopped beans,finely chopped eggplant to it.Also,you can even add grated coconut at the end as I did not have it I could not use it in the recipe.
• Generally kharabath is loaded with lots of ghee which gives its unique flavor and makes it tastier.Adding or reducing the ghee is as per your choice and diet.

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Sooji Upma | Rava Uppittu | Uppindi

After two and half years of blogging I am posting a simple upma recipe which sounded bit funny to me,but its always better to be late than never.I have realized recently that I have only kharabath recipe in my blog and I never posted basic upma recipe.If you think that making upma is easy then you are absolutely wrong,making upma is easy but making a good non-sticky tasty upma is an art.
I remember we used to call Upma as 'Concrete' during our childhood might be because of its texture and is not liked by many.As a kid I never used to like upma and of course I did not touch it for 21 years and my mom always had to make something else for me as I never used to eat upma.But things change and now I have realized that making upma is so easy,quick and convenient dish and when it is made properly one can enjoy piping hot simple upma like a gourmet meal.I got to know few tips and techniques over experience to make tasty upma and now I can say I thoroughly enjoy upma either as a quick breakfast or dinner.This post might sound silly for my blogger friends,but let me tell you that this recipe is aimed only for beginners in cooking and also for bachelors who looks for simple n yummy recipes.

Sooji Upma Recipe:
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 cup Sooji/Rawa
2 medium Onions,sliced
3-4 Green chillies,slit
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
1/2" Ginger,chopped
a sprig of Curry leaves
8-10 Cashew nuts,broken
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Chana dal
2 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2-3 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
Method:

• Dry roast rawa(sooji) in a kadai until the nice aroma starts from it.Remove it from the pan and let it cool.You can even roast rawa in a tsp of ghee which also gives a nice flavor to upma.
• Heat oil in a thick aluminium kadai(which is ideal for making upma) or non-stick kadai and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add chana dal,cashew nuts and urad dal and roast until they turn golden brown.
• Add slit green chillies,chopped ginger and curry leaves and fry them until they wilt.
• Add sliced onions and fry them until they are pink in color.
• Mean while boil 3 cups of water(1c rawa:3c water) in another vessel until it reaches the boiling point.
• Pour the hot boiling water into the upma kadai where onions are fried and let it boil again.
• Add required amount of salt to it.
• Now pour the rawa with one hand and keep stirring with another hand using a ladle,make sure you make this process very quickly otherwise you will end up having lumpy upma.
• Once everything is mixed,keep the lid on and cook it on low flame for 2-3 mins.
• Add ghee,coriander,grated coconut and lemon juice to it and mix well.
• Cover it and let it sit for 4-5 mins before you serve.

Serve it hot with some boondi/chips/cucumber and coconut chutney.

Notes:

1. Roasting the rawa ensures that the upma will not become sticky,so do not skip this step.
2. Boiling the water separately and adding it to upma is also another key step to get nice and soft upma.
3. If you want the upma to be very soft add 1c rawa:3c water,if you want it bit dry then add it in the ratio of 1c rawa:2 1/2 c water.
4. You can add extra ghee while serving it.
5. For a vegan version avoid ghee in the recipe.
   

Variations:

1. You can add vegetables like finely chopped carrots,beans,capsicum,cabbage and fresh peas while frying onions to make it mixed vegetable upma.
2. You can add fresh and tender avarekaalu while frying onions to make it avarekalu uppitu,do not miss to make this in avarekaalu season as it adds a very nice flavor to upma.
   
3. Instead of regular sooji you can use bansi(kesar) rawa or lapsi(wheat rawa) and follow the same recipe.If using Lapsi add water in the ratio 1c rawa:2 1/2 c water.Bansi rava upma tastes very nice instead of regular rawa.
   

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