Plain Upma

Upma is a quick and common breakfast item originating in the southern part of India. It's preparation involves fusing together a few common ingredients. You may also make it healthier by adding vegetables such as green peas, onions, tomato, corn and/or carrots. However, I like plain upma very much so here I am sharing a plain umma recipe, which I learned from one of my aunt. I like to make upma in ghee, but that is a personal preference. You may use oil.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rava/ semolina/ sooji
• 2 tablespoons oil /ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1-1/2 tablespoon split urad dal
• 5 to 6 curry leaves, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 green chilies, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh green coriander leaves, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 cups of hot water
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a pan on medium high heat and add oil/ ghee. Then, add mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add urad dal, chopped curry leaves and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds.
2. Add the rava and sauté for a few minutes until the color of the rava changes. Add 4 cups of hot water and salt. Mix well and cover with a lid. 
3. Cook on a slow flame for a few minutes while occasionally stirring.
4. Add lemon juice, mix well and cook while stirring continuously for one minute. 
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Rava Uttapam/ Instant Sooji Uttapam

Rava uttapam is essentially a simple pancake formed with a mixture comprised of rava and yogurt and topped with some vegetables. When you are hungry and short on time, it may be made rather quickly. You may eat this for breakfast or lunch.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rava/ sooji/ semolina
• 1/2 cup yogurt 
• 1 cup water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium small tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup green capsicum, chopped
• 1/4 cup red capsicum, chopped
• 1/4 cup carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup cabbage, grated
• 3 to 4 green chili, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• Oil
• Salt to tate

Directions:

1. Soak rava in one cup of water and set aside for 10 minutes. In the meantime, chop the veggies.
2. Add yogurt and salt to the rava mixture. Mix the batter to a not too thin or too thick consistency. If needed, add a couple of tablespoons of water to bring it to the right consistency.
3. Grease and heat the pan. Pour a laddle of the batter and spread it gently. Sprinkle the veggies and press with a spatula.
4. Add oil around the edges and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat. 
5. Cook until the rava uttapam is lightly crisp (browning bottom) and the veggies are cooked. Follow the same directions for rest of the batter.
6. Serve hot with coconut chutney. (Check the recipe on my blog for Coconut Chutney.)

Vegetable uttapam:

Sada Dosa (South Indian Recipe)

Dosa, a crisp and thin crepe made of rice and urad dal batter, is an extremely popular dish in south India. Making a homemade dosa involves three simple stages with the batter: soaking, grinding and fermenting. You may make different kinds of dosas with the same batter. For example, a masala dosa, mysore masala dosa, paper dosa, cheese dosa, paneer dosa etc. You can do numerous dosa variations by using few simple additional ingredients.

Soaking time: 4 hours
Fermentation time: 6 to 7 hours
Prep time:  15 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups parboiled rice
• 1/2 cup urad dal (split black urad dal)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• Oil and ghee for frying
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for 4 hours and then drain. At the same time, soak  rice in water for 4 hours and then drain.
2. Blend the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in a mixer until you have a smooth paste-like consistency. Add water little by little, as required.
3. Blend the rice in a mixer adding a little water, as required.
4. Combine both pastes together in a bowl, cover it and keep aside to ferment (6 to 7 hours).
5. Once the batter is fermented, add salt to the batter and mix it well. Thin with water, if necessary, before proceeding.
6. To make the dosas, set a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat and brush with 1 teaspoon of oil.
7. Ladle 1/4 cup batter in the center of griddle, using the bottom of ladle, and quickly spread the batter outward in a circular motion to a diameter of about 7 to 8 inches. Drizzle oil or ghee over the top.
8. Leave the dosa batter to brown gradually until the outer edges begin to look dry. Cook on one side only. With a spatula, carefully loosen the dosa from the griddle. The bottom should be crisp and browned.
9. Continue making dosas, one at a time.
10. Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar and aloo bhaji on the side.

Check out the recipes for Coconut Chutney, Sambar and Aloo Bhaji on my blog!

Dosa with chutney, aloo Bhaji and sambar:

Sada dosa

Aloo Masala/ Aloo Bhaji (South Indian Dish)

Aloo masala (also known as aloo bhaji) is a nice compliment to any kind of dosa. It may be rolled within the dosa or served as a side dish. It is an easy and simple dish to transform your meal. Onions are the only other vegetable added to the potato filling. A dosa without masala is a plain dosa, which may be had with coconut chutney and sambar, but in my opinion you'll enjoy it more with the filling! You may also eat this aloo masala with poori or bread of your choice.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Boiling time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)
• 1 big onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon split urad dal
• 8 to 10 curry leaves(chopped)
• 3 to 4 dry red chilis
• 2 to 3 green chopped green chilis
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons oil
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh green coriander leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Boil the potatoes. When they are soft, drain the water and let cool.
2. Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes.
3. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal. As the seeds crackle, add dry red chilis, curry leaves and asafoetida.
4. Add the sliced onion and stir fry until they are light brown.
5. Add turmeric powder, green chili, salt and the potatoes. Stir fry for a few minutes and turn off the stove.
6. Add lemon juice and fresh chopped coriander leaves.
7. Serve hot with dosa or poori.

Notes:

If you like green peas and carrots, you may add them. Boil first.

Idli

Idli is traditionally eaten for breakfast in south Indian households. It is a savory cake usually 2 or 3 inches in diameter. You may make square idli or round idli. Square idli I usually make for an idli sandwich. You may pick a shape depending on which moulds of idli pan you have. It is made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (split urad dal) and rice. Note: this recipe requires substantial lead time prior to cooking.

Soaking time: 3 to 4 hours
Prep time: 15 minutes
Fermenting time: 8 to 10 hours
Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 cups parboiled rice
• 1 cup urad dal (split black urad dal)
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• salt to taste
• Oil for greasing the mould plates

Directions:

1. Soak the urad dal and fenugreek seeds in enough water for 3 to 4 hours and drain. Soak the rice seperately in enough water for 3 to 4 hours and drain
2. Blend the urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in a mixer until you get the consistency of a smooth paste. Add water, little by little, as required
3. Blend the rice and cooked rice in a mixer until you get a smooth consistency. Add a little water, as required. Combine the dal paste and rice paste together in a bowl and cover. Keep aside to ferment (8 to 10 hours).
4. Once the batter is fermented, add salt to the batter and mix well.
5. Put spoonfuls of the batter into the greased idli moulds and steam for 10 minutes. Take out the idli stands (holding the moulds upright) from the idli pot. Take out the idli from the moulds. Repeat with the remaining batter to make additional idlis.
6. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.

Notes:
1. You may make idli sandwiches with leftover idli (Check my blog recipe titled, "Idli sandwich"). Or, you may stir fry idli with vegetables.

2. You may also make stuffed Idli with a vegetable stuffing or poatato stuffing.

Idli

Square idli

Served with sambar and chutney

Medu Vada (South Indian Dish)

Medu vadas are a traditional South Indian dish. It may be served for the main course, a snack or a side dish. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The vada is typically made with urad dal batter and fried as donut-shape dumplings. They are served with coconut chutney and sambar.

Soaking time: 5 hours
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients: (for about 16 vadas)

• 1-1/4 cups split washed urad dal
• Pinch of asafetida (hing)
• 3 to 4 green chili, chopped
• 2 tablespoon green coriander, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Oil to fry

Directions:

1. Wash and soak dal in water for about 4 to 5 hours. Drain the water and grind the dal in a food processor or a mixer to smooth paste consistency using very little water. Just enough to get the right texture. Blend an additional 2 to 3 minutes more to make it fluffy.
2. Add all the ingredients to the dal batter including coriander leaves, green chili, hing and salt. Beat the batter for 2 to 3 minutes. This will make the batter light and fluffy.
3. To check the consistency, put the one drop of batter in a bowl of water. The batter should float. Keeping the right consistency of batter is very important
4. When you put the batter on your palm, the batter should hold it's shape. If you are not using the batter right away, keep the batter refrigerated (as the batter sitting will get soft).
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. The frying pan should have about 1 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should sizzle and come up.
6. If the oil is very hot, the vadas will not cook through and will not be crispy.
7. Wet your palms and take a golf size batter and place over your palm. Flatten to a round shape and make a hole in the center with the other hand. Slowly slide the vada into the oil pan.
8. Fry the vadas on both sides to golden brown. Take them out over a paper towel to drain excess oil.
9. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar. ( check my recipes for coconut chutney and sambar)

Medu vadas

Coconut chutney 

Sambar