(This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. I am writing this month on activities that keep me refreshed during these depressing days. It's Day 21 today.)
Upma is a common breakfast dish in India, especially in the south. It's made from a form of semolina, called by various names like 'rava', 'Bombay rava', and 'sooji'.
While it's upma in Hindi and many other north Indian languages, it's 'uppumavu' in Malayalam, 'uppma' in Tamil, and 'uppittu' in Kannada. Though at home we say 'uppumavu', I will stick to 'upma' here.
It's one of the regular breakfast options for us. We buy 'rava', roast the whole of it, and keep it in a jar so that we don't have to roast it each time we make upma.
I am not a foodie, nor I have great culinary skills. I can cook to survive! And upma is one of the few dishes I make, and it's quite easy. Pour some cooking oil on the deep fry pan, put mustard, slices of onion and ginger; curry leaves; pour water; and after it boils, put rava and stir.
Water evaporates as upma gets cooked. And after a few minutes, a very basic version of the breakfast food is ready. To add more taste and flavour, some people add cashew, peanuts, urad dal, coconut powder etc.
Quantity of water determines how dry the upma will be. More water, like 1:4 proportion of rava and water, will make it a bit soggy. I like it a bit dry and non-sticky in a loose format. That's the way my mother used to prepare. So, I use lesser water.
Some people have it with banana, I prefer to have it with sugar.
While it's upma in Hindi and many other north Indian languages, it's 'uppumavu' in Malayalam, 'uppma' in Tamil, and 'uppittu' in Kannada. Though at home we say 'uppumavu', I will stick to 'upma' here.
It's one of the regular breakfast options for us. We buy 'rava', roast the whole of it, and keep it in a jar so that we don't have to roast it each time we make upma.
I am not a foodie, nor I have great culinary skills. I can cook to survive! And upma is one of the few dishes I make, and it's quite easy. Pour some cooking oil on the deep fry pan, put mustard, slices of onion and ginger; curry leaves; pour water; and after it boils, put rava and stir.
Water evaporates as upma gets cooked. And after a few minutes, a very basic version of the breakfast food is ready. To add more taste and flavour, some people add cashew, peanuts, urad dal, coconut powder etc.
Quantity of water determines how dry the upma will be. More water, like 1:4 proportion of rava and water, will make it a bit soggy. I like it a bit dry and non-sticky in a loose format. That's the way my mother used to prepare. So, I use lesser water.
Some people have it with banana, I prefer to have it with sugar.