White Suji Upma

When I think of upma, I automatically think of Suji Upma (Suji : Rava or Semolina). There are a lot of varieties of Upma like Vermicelli Upma, Chuda Upma etc.. but the master of all (IMHO) is Suji Upma. 

In Cuttack, Upma + Tarkaari is a great breakfast item which is available at most homes as well as small cafe/canteens/takeout food places. It's rich in essential nutrients, is a good combination of carbs + veggies + fat & gives a good start to the day.Some canteens/food places give chutney also with Upma which goes well too. Some serve it with Sambar (Odiya style south-indian sambar - More about that some other time). 

These days, since we are at home, we are trying to get some hot breakfast for ourselves & suji upma comes in really handy. In fact it's one of the go-to recipes after Chuda Upma (a.k.a Poha or Flattened Rice Upma) & egg omelette. 

Ironically, growing up, neither I nor my sister were big fans of Suji Upma. It used to be a frequent (not too frequent) affair at home & whenever our mother made it, my sister would make sure she puts some tomato ketchup on it so that it's edible. Yes.. I know.. very silly.. but it used to make it edible & the tangy ketchup would make it much easy to just gobble it up without the need to actually chew. 

Upma's color depends heavily on where you are eating it. At our home in Cuttack, Upma used to be White. Yes. The color white as in NO TURMERIC. We use Ghee & thats why it is so flavorful. Also, to make it uber nutritious, we now put loads of veggies to the upma. 

So here goes the family favorite & mind you.. we did not need ketchup for this one.. because it was just melt in our mouths yummy !!

What we used:

• 1 & 1/4 cup coarse suji (1/4 cup for each person eating) - We are 5 people. 
• 2 tbsp Ghee + 1 tbsp Ghee = 3 tbsp Ghee
• 1/2 cup each of very finely chopped (Adjust to your needs)
• Carrots
• Beans
• Red onions
• Tomatoes
• Cauliflower florets (This might have been a bit more than 1/2 cup because of the size of the florets)
• 1 inch ginger - Pounded
• 7-8 Curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups water (Luke warm is best)
• A non-stick pan with cover
• Wooden spatula

Process

• First, heat the pan & once pan is warm add the suji to it (no ghee yet). Dry roast the suji on medium heat for 5minutes. 
• Then add 1 tbsp ghee from top & mix well until the suji mixes well.
• Roast until fragrant. Do not let the suji burn or brown much. 
• Take it off & keep in in a separate plate.
• In the same pan, add the rest of the ghee & let it heat up. 
• Once ghee is hot, add mustard seeds & let them splutter.
• Next goes the Carrots + Beans + Cauliflower. 
• Fry on medium heat, cover & cook until veggies are softer. 
• At this point add salt for the veggies to cook.
• Once the veggies have softened & has brown spots, add the ginger, onions, curry leaves & tomatoes. 
• Give it a good mix - Adjust salt if needed. 
• Cover for 2mins just to let out water from the tomatoes. 
• Next goes in the warm water - all of it on Medium heat. Cover the pan. 
• Give everything a good stir & let the water boil. 
• Once the water boils, add the suji slowly while stirring the mix so that it does not lump up. 
• Once you stir the whole thing, cover & let the pan sit on low heat for 7 - 8 mins. 
• After 7 mins, open the cover & give everything a good stir.
• Shut off the heat & keep the pan covered until ready to serve. 

We enjoyed this upma all by itself & some Indian chai. You can serve it with chutney, sambar or Ghugni or simple alu tarkaari (Potato Curry).