Uppittu is one of the top 5 breakfast dishes for any Bangalorean. One can never forget a hot plate of Uppittu with khara Boondhi next to a cup of steaming filter coffee served at any Sagar hotel. I share special memories with this "Upma and filter coffee"combo as my tea time snacks at "Hatti Kaapi" junction in Bangalore.
This might sound like very common and quick recipe. But believe me it's a nightmare for many kids (including me :P ) when their mom says "Tommorow's breakfast is Uppittu". It's got crazy nicknames in kids kingdom like Concrete... Cement.....
Making a perfect Uppittu is all about getting the right consistency and then the taste. Believe me, If you go slightly wrong ... This dish will end up in sticky paste which doesn't go down your mouth ..or a lumpy dish filled with uncooked Rava lumps all over... If you somehow get the consistency right, the next challenge is the taste. Uppittu can easily be so boring to eat that you wouldn't dare to make it for ages again...
Having said such scary stories, I must admit that Upma is one of the most comforting food at any time of day. When its raining outside or you are damn tired or bored to the core, this is a comfort food to make in minutes in your kitchen and relish it watching your fav movie. You can accessorize it with some crunchy mixture, crispy chips, spicy pickle or even plan yogurt.
So let's try and make your "Upma time" an unforgettable experience.
As am veggoholic... I add in a lots of veggies in my Upma to make it more tasty and interesting to eat.
Recipe Courtesy : Years of trial
This recipe serves 4 people
Ingredients
- Semolina (Rava) : 2 cups, Medium coarse Rava
- Carrots : 1 cup, finely chopped ( optional ).
- Beans : 1 cup, finely chopped ( optional ).
- Peas: 1/4 cup frozen peas ( optional ).
- Capsicum : 1/2 cup ( optional )
- Green Chillies : 5-6 chillies, finely chopped or just split into halves when serving it to kids.
- Onion : 2 cups, finely chopped.
- Tomatoes : 2 cups, finely chopped.
- Garlic : 3-4 large pods, finely chopped.
- Butter (Ghee) : 2 tbsp
- Grated coconut : 1 cup.
- Coriander leaves : 1 cup.
- Salt : to taste.
- Curry leaves : 10-12 leaves.
Procedure
- Let's start to dry roast the semolina in a pan on low to medium heat. Stir it regularly to avoid burning and even roasting of Rava. Set it aside.
- The first key for a nonstick and aromatic Uppittu is well roasted Rava. The Rava doesn't stick when it is roasted well and turns whitish in color once roasted.
- In a wide pan, add generous amount around 5-6 tbsp of oil and heat it on low to medium flame.
- Once oil is slightly hot, first add 2-3 tbsp of peanuts and fry them for few seconds. then add in the mustard seeds, jeera, Chana Dal, urad dal, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and fry them well for a while. Fry until the green chillies are fried very well and starts turning white in color.
- The second key for tasty Uppittu is to get the flavors of the veggies in the oil. Specially chillies. We are trying to make chilli garlic oil in this step which is sole taste maker as no other spice powder is used in this recipe.
- Add in onions, peas and sauté until onions turn translucent. Now add the veggies and sauté them well.
- Add in the tomatoes, salt and sauté this well until tomatoes turn mushy.
- Add 4 and 1/4 cups of water, fresh grated coconut and let it boil well. Add butter or Ghee into the water.
- The third key is to boil the water well so that the flavors of all the veggies should get into the water which makes the Upma tasty and all the oils should start floating on top of water which makes the Upma nonsticky. Never hurry up in this step.
- Once the water is boiling well for a while, add coriander leaves and reduce the heat to low. Wait for few seconds until the water stops boiling and temperature is reduced, then start adding the roasted Rava slowly into the water in one hand and continuously keep stirring in another hand. Break any lumps by stirring the Upma well.
- The fourth key is to reduce the temperature of boiling water first and then add Rava slowly and stir continuously. Never try to add Rava into boiling water, it will quickly thicken the Rava causing lumps all over .you cannot stand the high heat in the pan and continuously stir well, that again causes lumps. In no time, all the water will be absorbed by Rava and Upma will start burning in the bottom.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of water on Upma if you feel it is too thick, dry and uncooked. Close a tight lid to the pan and let it simmer on low flame for 5-10 mins. Turn off the heat.
- Give another 10 mins of sitting time and then serve.
- The fifth key is to let the Upma simmer well after it is done. That will make the Rava granules fluffy and perfectly cooked.
- You will feel it was proud to have cooked nonsticky, no lumps, tasty Upma ready to be served.
