Upma : Dabba Recipe

Recipe for Beginners : For those who haven't entered the kitchen, this recipe is a saviour when you are put in the situation ! Upma is a common breakfast dish in south India. Less oil, less time, less preparation !!!! It tastes great just as it is, or you can even serve it with pickle ( especially lime) or even with corriander or coconut chutney. Some even add sev or bhujia to it, just to add the taste ! Upma is a hot favourite as it can be eaten even as a snack, it surely fills you for long hours.

Fire in the Kitchen : Indian cooking = Onions !!! Onion adds taste to every dish we make :) Every curry, sabzi or daal does require onion as an ingredient. With the rising onion prices in India, poor cooks/chefs/mothers have to think of alternative recipes that can be cooked without onions. Onion is also an important ingredient in breakfast recipes including upma. I always made upma with onions and tomatoes, and sometimes adding 1 or 2 vegetable for nutritional benefits. Now that i have to pack breakfast tiffin everyday for my husband, i have to think of alternate recipes too without using onions! Managing monthly budget is hell of a task!!!!!!! So, here's Upma( cooked without onions ), a hot cup of coffee ( served in my favourite mug) and Newspaper.... A Lovely Morning is here :)

Ingredients :

Rava ( Suji ) - 1 cup ( dry roasted. You can even dry roast in bulk and store in air tight container and use as and when required )

Green chillies - 2/3 ( chopped finely )

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Ginger - 1 inch piece (grated or chopped finely )

Peanuts - 2 tbsp ( roast and remove skin)

Carrot - 1 ( peeled and grated )

Green peas - 1/2 cup

Salt - to taste

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Water - 2 cups

Coconut - 1 tsp ( grated ) Optional. To garnish

Corriander leaves - 1/2 cup ( this adds freshness and aroma to the dish ) to garnish

You can even add curry leaves, cumin seeds, split urad daal or split chana daal if u wish.

Recipe :

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the green chillies. (If adding curry leaves, and the daal, add now and saute till brown ). Saute for 30 secs and then add the peanuts.

Saute for a minute.

Add green peas and grated carrots and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Now add the water to the pan and let it come to a boil on high flame.

Reduce the flame to minimum and slowly add rava. Stir so that no lumps are found.

Keep stirring till the mixture thickens.

Garnish with grated coconut and corriander leaves. Always serve hot.. It doesn't taste great when cold.

Happy Cooking :)