Upma is one of breakfast dish often becomes dinner dish in our household. I make at least once in a week. With my 7 month old also demanding attention, it was easy to make. When I was growing up, mom made 3 types of upma, one with cracked wheat and other two with semolina and vermicelli. We hate upma, and in order to get us to eat, mom had to bribes us with promise of making or buying sweets. After I started cooking I have realize the importance of upma in my life.
Mom usually adds coconut to cracked wheat upma and to the other two nothing much except some seasoning and onions. I feel guilty to make the simple version of upma, so I add carrots, beans, onions and capsicums. My hubby thinks that adding too many vegetables spoils the taste of upma. So again back to zero. Still I add onions and carrots in my upma. After making some moong dal thoran I had a small amount of soaked moong dal remained to be used. I was thinking of making some sweets with them but changed my mind and decide to incorporate it in our routine upma. I generally experiment on a favorite dish for just one time, if the dish is not good, my hubby will tell me “ ya swathi! This one is good, but no need to make it any more” meaning this one is not good. So nowadays after making any new dish I will ask him; Honey can make it again? If he says “yes” means verdict is good.
This time I skipped carrots from ingredients, and instead added moong dal. I made my upma this way.
What you need
Rava/Sooji/Farina/Semolina: 2 cups
Moong dal/Green gram dal: 1 cup
Onions : 1 no (Finely chopped)
Green chili : 1 no (I used Serrano pepper)
Ginger : 1 inch piece (finely chopped)
Mustard : ½ teaspoon
Urad dal : ½ teaspoon
Red chilli : 2 no (halved) Increase numbers if you need spicy
Curry leaves : 1 sprig
Salt : to taste
Olive oil : 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice : 2 teaspoon
Water : 2 ½ cup for cooking upma + 2 cup for cooking moong dal.
How I made
Dry roast rava/semonlina/ Sooji/ farina in a pan until it slightly changes color.
Cook moong dal / green gram dal in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles or until it get cooked well, not get mashed.
Heat a thick bottomed pan and add olive oil and mustard, urad dal and halved red chili. Once mustard starts spluttering add onions, green chili and little salt, cook until onions become translucent or change color then add cooked moong dal and curry leaves.
Add 2 and ½ cup water and remaining salt to onion-moong dal mixture, when water starts boiling add roasted rava/ semolina and cook until it absorbs entire water and becomes thick mass first and then separates into granules. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice and mix well.
Enjoy with any pickle or even banana.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 serving
Verdict: Tasty, slightly dry than usual other vegetables
Will you make it again: I will
Swathi
7
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Raji says
very interesting recipe. Moong dal is very good for health. I am glad to find this recipe.
Kitchen Flavours says
New to me...looks yummy....