South Indies: Instant Upma

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Before I begin talking about Instant Upma, I have to say this .. The credit for this recipe goes to my mother, for this is her creation & the picture of the 'Instant Upma Mixture 'that you are going to see below is prepared by her ... Thanks Amma :)

This one is very simple to make & is a huge time saver. All you need to do is Roast Semolina, do the tempering & mix semolina along with desicated coconut to form a crisp mixture. Store it in air tight jars. The mixture takes about 30 minsto make from start to finish & later you can make upma just like you would do maggi noodles .. Infact, this is quicker than Maggi .. Seriously...

Instant Upma 1

It tastes as good as the traditional Upma sans onions & other veggies that you may like to add. You can make the slightly more elaborate one during weekends, for other days & esp weeknights, this is great.

Shankar usually take this on his travels so that he can relish a hassle free breakfast & then I was like, why not start using this at home too, it is so handy. This is a real time saver for bachelors or even for women with busy schedules. Imagine, you get back late from work & piping hot upma is just 2 mins away .. Bliss !!!


For the Instant Upma Mixture:


You Will Need:
  • I Kg Semolina/Upma Rava
  • 200g cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp oil - for roasting semolina
  • 150g Desicated coconut
  • 20 Green Chillies - chopped
  • 1 tbsp curry leaves - chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh cilantro - finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp urad dal
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt as per taste

How To:

  • Take a huge Kadhai & heat about 2 tbsp oil. When warm, add semolina & roast on medium flame until aromatic & semolina begins to change colour. This should take about 10-12 mins considering the amount of semolina. Set aside & allow it to cool
  • In the same kadhai, Heat 200g oil & splutter mustard & cumin seeds. Add urad & chana dal & allow them to change color slightly.
  • Add curry leaves, chopped green chillies, turmeric & chopped cilantro & saute on medium heat until the chillies, curry leaves & cilantro become slightly crisp.
  • Add desicated coconut & fry for a couple of minutes.
  • To this, add roasted semolina & salt as per taste & mix well on low heat. Keep stirring for about 5-7 minutes till the upma mixture starts looking crisp ( It should look like the picture above )
  • Allow it to cool & transfer into an air-tight jar for later use

Instant Upma 2


To make Upma:

  • 1 cup Upma mixture
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp Desi Ghee

How to:

  • Take a small sauce pan, heat water. When the water starts boiling, add desi ghee.
  • Pour the Upma mixture slowly. Keep stirring continuously as you pour so that no lumps are formed.
  • Allow it to cook. This should take a couple of mins.

Transfer it to your bowl & enjoy it with some fresh yogurt or with sprinkle some Chutney Pudi on top like I did .. Enjoi !!!!

You can add a few frozen peas or any other frozen vegetables you have on hand. I sometimes add Vangi Bhath powder for a spicier version.


Note:

  • 1kg mixture should last for about a month depending on your usage
  • The mixture stays fresh for a good 2 months. Beyond that, the flavours start getting stale.

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