Upma is a very traditional South Indian breakfast dish. Savor this dish with coconut chutney. Children love this lightly spiced indian noodles. Can make a great school snack for children.

Serves: 4 persons

Cooking time: 20 minutes Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups semia/vermicelli
• ½ cup thinly sliced onions
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
• 5 curry leaves
• ¼ cup chopped carrots
• ¼ cup chopped beans
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable/Sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Method

Cook the carrots and beans. See Cooking Vegetables

Heat oil in frying pan; add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle.

Add onions, ginger, curry leaves and green chilles and sauté until onions are tender

Add asafoetida, salt and the semia and sauté for a few more minutes on medium heat.

Add 1 cup of water; stir and keep the pan closed for a few minutes, until you see the water has been absorbed by the semia and the semia is cooked

With the heat in medium let it stand for 1 more minute. Turn off heat, add lemon juice and ghee and stir. While stirring take care not to mash the semia that it becomes guey and sticky

Keep it closed for a few more minutes with heat turned off for the semia to settle down and for it to remain in string form.

Ghee enhances the flavor of the upma. This is another tricky dish; experience helps you get the right texture. Serve hot with coconut chutney