Vegetable Upma (Serves 2)

For the Special Powder :

·         Red Chilli -1

·         Chana Dal – 1 teaspoons

·         Coriander Seeds – 1 teaspoon

·         Cumin Seeds – ½ teaspoon

·         Turmeric – small piece or a pinch of turmeric powder

·         Methi (Fenugreek Seeds) – few seeds

Heat a pan and dry fry all above ingredients till you get a nice aroma. Powder these together and keep aside.

For the Upma :

·         Semolina/Sooji/Rava – Raw – 1 Cup

·         1.5 Cups of finely chopped vegetables : carrot , Potato , brinjal, Peas (whole green fresh) , tomato, capsicum, beans (and any other vegetable that you fancy)

·         Onion – 1 Medium – Finely chopped

·         Ginger – a small piece – chopped

·         Green Chillies – 1 small – chopped

·         Curry leaves to taste

·         Salt

·         Water

·         Ghee

·         Mustard Seeds

Heat Oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add curry leaves , green chillies , onion and ginger. Fry till the onion starts changing color. In a separate pan start boiling about 4 cups of water. To the pan containing the onions , add salt and the tomatoes. Fry for 2-3 mins. Add all the vegetables and 1 spoon of special powder (recipe above)and cook till vegetables are done. Once the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan , add Sooji  and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and mix well. You need to keep mixing this till Sooji turns a light brown color (very very light brown – do not overcook it). Now, add boiling water to this (after reducing the flame) and keep stirring – so that no lumps are formed. You need to add water enough to just cover the sooji. Keep stirring till it reaches serving consistency (I like upma semi solid) . Serve hot with Avakkai Pickle J

Tips : The ginger in this dish adds lot of taste to it – so be very generous with Ginger. The special powder can be made in bulk and stored for future use (You can even use it in other curries etc).