Vegetable semiya upma

As a child, upma was one of the dishes that I hated the most. It is only when I started cooking that I realized that the reason upma makes an appearance at most breakfast tables is that it is one of the easiest things to cook. Chances of messing it up are minimal, though not completely impossible. Adding a bunch of colorful vegetables makes it look appealing, in addition to making it a healthy way to start your day.
The problem with vermicelli upma is that as it cools, it tends to clump together, making it unappealing. To make it appealing to kids and adults alike, what I do is cook it in lots of boiling water, drain it and then run some cold water over it to stop it from cooking further and to make sure that the strands of vermicelli stay separate without clumping together.

What you need:
Vermicelli - 1 cup
Onion - 1 small, chopped fine
Green chilli - 2, minced
Ginger - a small piece, julienned
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Mixed vegetables, chopped very fine - 1/2 cup (I used capsicum, green beans, frozen peas, frozen corn and carrots. You can add or subtract to this list, as per your taste)
Salt - to taste

Heat 5 cups of water in a large saucepan. Add the vermicelli to it and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes until the vermicelli is cooked. Drain on to a colander and run cold water over the vermicelli. Drain out all excess water completely. Set aside.
Heat a spoon of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and urad. When the seeds pop, add chopped chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds and then add chopped onions and saute till translucent. Lower the flame, add in the remaining vegetables, just enough salt for the vegetables and cover and cook for a few minutes. The vegetables should still retain their crunch. Add in the cooked vermicelli, some more salt for the vermicelli and mix well. Garnish with chopped spring onion greens or chopped coriander.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM
This also goes to  Valli's Kid’s Delight event, guest hosted by PJ themed on Quick / Innovative Breakfast

Apple semiya payasam

My little girl would be content if I fed her only fruits all day - no rice, no rotis, no spicy curries. That, I think, would be an ideal day for her. However, I am the proverbial monster-mother who forces her to eat rice, sambar, veggies and rotis every single day. It is amazing to see how the nose that wrinkles up in disgust at the sight of rice will excitedly sniff out a perfectly ripe chikoo or papaya.
Today's dish incorporates fruit into payasam - a dessert that is usually made during festivals.

What you need:
Vermicelli/Semiya - 3/4 cup
Apple - 3/4 cup, peeled and cut into tiny pieces
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust to taste)
Milk - 1.5 cups
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashews, raisins - a few, fried in ghee till golden brown

Take the chopped apple and water in a pan. Stew on low heat for 10-12 minutes until the apples are soft. Add the vermicelli and milk. Continue to cook on low heat until the vermicelli turns soft. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves completely. Remove from heat and add the fried cashews and raisins.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#14

Semiya Puliyodharai

Sometimes, when I am in no mood to make anything elaborate or to eat out, this tiffin comes to the rescue. The ingredients are almost always available in any South Indian home and the time taken to make this is minimal.

What you need:
Vermicelli/semiya - 1 cup
Tamarind - a lemon sized ball, soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
Red chillies - 2 or 3
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Salt
Peanuts - a few
Gingely oil - 5 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add the broken red chillies, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and peanuts. When the dals turns red, add the mustard seeds. Extract thick juice from the tamarind. Add enough water to this extract to make 3 cups of thin tamarind juice. Add this to the pan once the mustard seeds pop. Once it starts boiling, add salt and the vermicelli. Stir well and let it boil until the vermicelli is cooked and all the moisture evaporates.

Cooking with leftovers - Vermicelli upma pakoda

When it comes to making upma, I do not know the magic proportion that will yield just enough for two. I ALWAYS end up with more than we can eat. When the same situation arose yesterday and I was left with enough upma after breakfast to safely see us through lunch and dinner and maybe breakfast the next day, I had a brainwave (oh yeah....I do have one of those once in a while...) and that's how this dish was born.

What you need:

Leftover semiya upma
Red chilli powder
Salt
Gram flour/besan
Rice flour
Oil - for deep frying
(Quantities depend on how much upma you have leftover.)

Mix all the ingredients together. Use just enough besan and rice flour to for a really thick batter. Add water only if needed and even then, just sprinkle a few drops at a time.
Heat oil in a pan. Drop spoonfuls of the upma-besan mixture into hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown. Drain excess oil and serve hot with ketchup/chutney.

Thoughts : The pakodas turned out nice, brown and crisp. Perfect way to use up leftovers.

Note : To make upma, heat 2 tsp of oil. Season with mustard seeds and urad dal. Add chopped onions, ginger, green chillies, garlic, tomatoes, veggies of your choice and stir fry for a few minutes. Add 2 cups of water for every cup of vermicelli you use. Once the water boils, add in the vermicelli and salt. Cook until all the moisture is absorbed and the vermicelli is cooked through.

This goes to Rushina's Pakora Contest and also to the Original Recipe Event at Lore's Culinarty.