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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
15 minutes
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Serves
2-3
Author Notes
Upma may be described as the South Indian equivalent of Grits. Traditionally made from cream of wheat (sometimes erroneously labeled as semolina at Indian Grocery stores) , It makes for a nutritious tasty and quick breakfast. The .semolina is toasted to prevent it from getting mushy in the cooking process and is cooked along with a variety of vegetables. A variation on the traditional version is the 'semiya' upma made from vermicelli (probably the most well known type of pasta in India.
This recipe makes use of stellini pasta, a shape traditionally used for soup, but works wonderfully for a kid friendly breakfast. —Panfusine
Ingredients
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6 ounces Stellini pasta
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1/2 a small cauliflower
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1/2 cup frozen green peas
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1 red onion, finely diced
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3 tablespoons olive oil
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1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
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1 small green chilli (finely sliced)
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1 inch piece Ginger finely chopped
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1 pinch asafetida
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1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder(optional)
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Juice of one lime/lemon
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Salt to taste
Directions
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Toast the pasta on a skillet on low heat till it begins turning golden. Keep stirring the pasta while it changes color since they can get burnt quite quickly. Remove from fire.
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In a large container, boil sufficient quantity of water (with salt added). add the pasta & cook (toasting tends to lengthen cooking time, it takes about 2-3 minutes more than the time listed on the packaging for regular water & Once cooked, rinse off the starchy water drain and set aside. Add a tsp of oil to keep the shapes from sticking. Once the pasta has been strained out,use the starch water to boil the peas till they're done. Set aside.
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Using the fine side of a box grater, grate the cauliflower florets. This shreds the florets down to the size of couscous ( a fine middle eastern pasta in the shape of tiny beads).
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Add 2 tbsp of oil and the red chili powder to the cauliflower, spread on a lined baking sheet & roast at 400 C till golden. (~ 10 min), remove, transfer into a bowl & season with salt.
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In a skillet, Add the remaining oil, heat till near smoking, Add mustard. and allow to sputter & pop.
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When the mustard begins sputtering, add the onions, chopped green chilli, ginger, asafetida & salt. and saute till the onions turn translucent. add the pasta, peas & roasted cauliflower and toss till all the elements are well combined. Transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with lime juice prior to serving.
A biomedical engineer/ neuroscientist by training, currently a mommy blogger on a quest for all things food - Indian Palate, Global perspective!
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