Healthy Breakfast,A Must!
Nutrition experts have referred to the breakfast as the most important meal of the day.People who skip breakfasts are likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, weight, and cardiac health.There are many simple yet nutritious dishes which are quite filling and can be prepared in no time.
UPAMA: Upama could be prepared in different ways.To make things simpler,i have distinguished it as Yellow Upama and White Upama.
Ingredients for Yellow Upama :
1 katori Sooji, ( sold as semolina in the US)
2 and 1/2 katori water,
Vegetables:shredded Cabbage,diced Carrot,Sweet Pea (Matar) all making up to 1 katori
1 medium sized Onion,
1 or 2 green chillies,
1 teaspoon grated Ginger,
juice of half a lemon,
finely chopped Coriander leaves(Hara Dhaniya or Kothimbeer)
Salt to taste(about one tea spoon)
A pinch of sugar.
For baghar/chhaunk/fodani: one tablespoon cooking oil,one teaspoon Mustard seeds(sarson in Hindi,Mohari in Marathi),one teaspoon Turmeric powder-(Haldi),Kadhi patta or curry leaves
Utensils: Kadahi, a plate that can pass off as a lid to cover the kadahi ,Spatula (The spatula is known as Karchhi in Hindi and Ulathane in Marathi.)and a pot for boiling the water
YELLOW UPAMA
Sooji
Sooji is also known as Rawa and is available both loose and packaged in the grocery store.Loose Sooji is finely textured,whereas the packaged Sooji tends to be a bit coarser.Each gives off its own distinct taste.
The secret of a tasty Upama lies entirely in how well you roast the Sooji. To get that distinct wholesome flavour, you'll need to set the dry Sooji to roast on a low-flame and a bit of patience to go with it.
To prepare the yellow Upama:
Place the kadahi on low flame and dry roast the Sooji with the help of a spatula.(Well,if one is in a hurry,then one can speed up the process and roast the Sooji on high flame,taking care not to let it burn.)When done,the Sooji is crisp golden in colour and gives a distinct aroma.Transfer the roasted Sooji in a plate and keep aside.
Work in the kitchen demands multitasking.So,side by side,you will cut the vegetables ,while the Sooji is getting roasted.
You will dice the medium sized onion.Much depends on the way you cut the onions .If you are slicing the onion across its length, then it'll give off a karara or a khamang taste. But for a suffusion of sweetness, you should opt to dice it into tiny pieces. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly.Next chop the green chillies, then grate the ginger,shred the cabbage,dice the carrot and finely chop the Coriander leaves.You can use the frozen or the fresh sweet peas.
Now take a two and a half katori of water and set it to boil on the low flame. Simultaneously, put the kadahi on the other burner on a high flame. To the kadahi, add a tablespoonful cooking oil.Add the mustard seeds.When you hear them splutter, turn down the flame and add Turmeric powder-(Haldi).Add chopped green chillies, Kadhi patta or curry leaves,grated ginger and chopped onion in it.Run the spatula,so that ingredients are not burnt and are mixed well.The chopped onion dices will turn translucent and tender when they are done. Now add all the vegetables and sauté-that is,run the spatula for a while(paratane).Now increase the flame,add the boiling water to the kadahi and add the salt,pinch of sugar and lemon juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves.Now reduce the flame and slowly but consistently keep adding the roasted Sooji. It will start to congeal.At the same time you have to keep stirring the mixture so that lumps are not formed.You have to take precaution as the droplets of this bubbling hot mixture might pop-up from the kadahi,so immediately cover the kadahi with a plate. Cook for few seconds.Put off the flame.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
There is another way of making this Yellow Upama.
While everything is the same till vegetables are added to the kadahi and sautéed,the roasted Sooji is added after adding the vegetables.Add the salt,pinch of sugar and lemon juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves. Now add the boiling water,stir it continuously so that lumps are not formed.Cover the kadahi with a plate.Cook for few seconds.Put off the flame.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
This Upama could be prepared without onion.Those who do not like or do not eat onions,need not put it.It could also prepared if you want to add only onion and do not have vegetables available to you.In any case,it would be tasty.
Enjoy the delicious YELLOW UPAMA
Nutrition experts have referred to the breakfast as the most important meal of the day.People who skip breakfasts are likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, weight, and cardiac health.There are many simple yet nutritious dishes which are quite filling and can be prepared in no time.
UPAMA: Upama could be prepared in different ways.To make things simpler,i have distinguished it as Yellow Upama and White Upama.
Ingredients for Yellow Upama :
1 katori Sooji, ( sold as semolina in the US)
2 and 1/2 katori water,
Vegetables:shredded Cabbage,diced Carrot,Sweet Pea (Matar) all making up to 1 katori
1 medium sized Onion,
1 or 2 green chillies,
1 teaspoon grated Ginger,
juice of half a lemon,
finely chopped Coriander leaves(Hara Dhaniya or Kothimbeer)
Salt to taste(about one tea spoon)
A pinch of sugar.
For baghar/chhaunk/fodani: one tablespoon cooking oil,one teaspoon Mustard seeds(sarson in Hindi,Mohari in Marathi),one teaspoon Turmeric powder-(Haldi),Kadhi patta or curry leaves
Utensils: Kadahi, a plate that can pass off as a lid to cover the kadahi ,Spatula (The spatula is known as Karchhi in Hindi and Ulathane in Marathi.)and a pot for boiling the water
YELLOW UPAMA
Sooji
Sooji is also known as Rawa and is available both loose and packaged in the grocery store.Loose Sooji is finely textured,whereas the packaged Sooji tends to be a bit coarser.Each gives off its own distinct taste.
The secret of a tasty Upama lies entirely in how well you roast the Sooji. To get that distinct wholesome flavour, you'll need to set the dry Sooji to roast on a low-flame and a bit of patience to go with it.
To prepare the yellow Upama:
Place the kadahi on low flame and dry roast the Sooji with the help of a spatula.(Well,if one is in a hurry,then one can speed up the process and roast the Sooji on high flame,taking care not to let it burn.)When done,the Sooji is crisp golden in colour and gives a distinct aroma.Transfer the roasted Sooji in a plate and keep aside.
Work in the kitchen demands multitasking.So,side by side,you will cut the vegetables ,while the Sooji is getting roasted.
You will dice the medium sized onion.Much depends on the way you cut the onions .If you are slicing the onion across its length, then it'll give off a karara or a khamang taste. But for a suffusion of sweetness, you should opt to dice it into tiny pieces. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly.Next chop the green chillies, then grate the ginger,shred the cabbage,dice the carrot and finely chop the Coriander leaves.You can use the frozen or the fresh sweet peas.
Now take a two and a half katori of water and set it to boil on the low flame. Simultaneously, put the kadahi on the other burner on a high flame. To the kadahi, add a tablespoonful cooking oil.Add the mustard seeds.When you hear them splutter, turn down the flame and add Turmeric powder-(Haldi).Add chopped green chillies, Kadhi patta or curry leaves,grated ginger and chopped onion in it.Run the spatula,so that ingredients are not burnt and are mixed well.The chopped onion dices will turn translucent and tender when they are done. Now add all the vegetables and sauté-that is,run the spatula for a while(paratane).Now increase the flame,add the boiling water to the kadahi and add the salt,pinch of sugar and lemon juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves.Now reduce the flame and slowly but consistently keep adding the roasted Sooji. It will start to congeal.At the same time you have to keep stirring the mixture so that lumps are not formed.You have to take precaution as the droplets of this bubbling hot mixture might pop-up from the kadahi,so immediately cover the kadahi with a plate. Cook for few seconds.Put off the flame.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
There is another way of making this Yellow Upama.
While everything is the same till vegetables are added to the kadahi and sautéed,the roasted Sooji is added after adding the vegetables.Add the salt,pinch of sugar and lemon juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves. Now add the boiling water,stir it continuously so that lumps are not formed.Cover the kadahi with a plate.Cook for few seconds.Put off the flame.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
This Upama could be prepared without onion.Those who do not like or do not eat onions,need not put it.It could also prepared if you want to add only onion and do not have vegetables available to you.In any case,it would be tasty.
Enjoy the delicious YELLOW UPAMA
