Semiya Upma

Vermicelli Vegetable Upma makes for a decent breakfast or evening snack.

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup Semiya(Bambino)
1 green chilli
1 medium size onion, sliced thin
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp urad dhal
1 tsp channa dhal
few curry leaves

Steps:
Add 1 tsp of oil in a pan and roast the vermicelli to light golden colour.
Add 2 tsp of oil in a pan and add the mustard, uraddhal , channadhal and curry leaves.
When the mustard pops add the Onions and green chillies and fry till translucent.
Now add 1 1/2 cups (one and a half)of water, salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric and cover the pan with a lid.
When the water comes to a boil add the roasted vermicelli and cook for few minutes till the water is absorbed.
Garnish with few sprigs of cilantro.

Upma

Ingredients:

1 cup of sooji
1/2 small chopped onion
1/4 tomato
Some peanuts
Some chana dal
Some urad dal
Green Chilies
peas
Some curry leaves
Jeera
Mustard seeds
Chopped ginger
Some peas

Steps:

In a pan, heat some oil/ghee.
Add mustard seeds, jeera, chopped ginger, green chillies, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves and peanuts and saute.
To that add chopped onions and saute for 2 min.
Add tomatoes and peas and cook for a while.
Add 2.5 cups of water and let it to boil.
Now add the sooji and stir continuously while adding the sooji to avoid lumps.
Mix the sooji well for a minute.
Cover the pan with a lid and lower the flame.
Switch off the gas after couple of minutes.

Goes well with:

peanut chutney, lime pickle

Rapid Sambar

Image via Wikipedia

Sai loves this!!!

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup toor(arhar) dal
1 cup sliced sorakaaya(lauki)
1/2 medium tomato
1 medium onion
3-4 cut baby carrots
4-5 okra(bhindi) cut
5 spoons of sambar powder
1 tbsp of tamarind paste
5-6 drumsticks
Jeera
Cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves
4 dry red chillies
4-5 Curry leaves
4 green chillies

Steps:

In a Pressure cooker add the dal.
Cut the onion, tomato into medium pieces and add to the dal along with the okra,sorakaaya and carrots.(You can cook bhindi, onions,tomato,lauki and carrots and add it to the dal later... This is the better way...)
Add 8-10 cups of water. Add 3 spoons of sambar powder,turmeric powder, tamarind paste and green chillies.
Let this presssure cook for 4-6 whistles.
When the dal is pressure cooked, keep the cooker on medium flame and add 2 spoons of sambar powder,salt and red chilly powder to taste.
Keep cooking the dal for another 5 minutes.

In a small pan, add some oil and heat it.
Add mustard seeds, jeera to the pan.
Then add the finely chopped garlic cloves, curry leaves.
Crush the dry red chilly and then add it into the pan...
Now add the contents of the pan into the cooker.
Mix them well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot.

Goes well with: Rice and ghee.

Palak koora Pappu (Dal)

Thanks to Chaitanya!!!

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 4


Ingredients:

1 cup toor(arhar) dal
1 cup of chopped spinach (frozen will also do)
1/2 medium tomato
1 medium onion
Jeera
Cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves
4 dry red chillies
4-5 Curry leaves
4 green chillies
mustard seeds

Steps:

In a Pressure cooker add the dal.
Cut the onion, tomato into medium pieces and add to the dal along with the spinach.
Add 8-10 cups of water. Add turmeric powder and green chillies.
Let this presssure cook for 4 whistles.
When the dal is pressure cooked, keep the cooker on medium flame and add salt and red chilly powder to taste.
Keep cooking the dal for another 5 minutes.

In a small pan, add some oil and heat it.
Add mustard seeds, jeera to the pan.
Then add the finely chopped garlic cloves, curry leaves.
Crush the dry red chilly and then add it into the pan...
Now add the contents of the pan into the cooker.
Mix them well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot.

Goes well with: Rice and ghee.

Variations:

You can substitute the following in place of spinach(palak):

Tomato
Lemon
Raw Mango
Sorakaaya (Lauki)