How to Prepare Carrot and Green Peas Upma: A Delicious South Indian Dish

Upma, also known as uppitu, is a popular South Indian breakfast dish that is made from semolina (rava) and flavored with spices and vegetables. Upma can be made with a variety of vegetables, and one popular variation is upma with carrots and green peas. In this blog post, we will discuss the step-by-step process of preparing upma with carrots and green peas, along with some tips and tricks to make it delicious

                              

Adding carrots and green peas along with onions is also a great idea. Here's how you can modify the above recipe to include them at an earlier stage:

Ingredients:

1 cup semolina (rava)

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion, chopped

1 green chili, chopped

1 tsp ginger, grated

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup green peas

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them crackle.

Add chopped onions, green chilies, chopped carrots, and green peas and sauté until the onions turn translucent.

Add grated ginger and mix well. Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for 2-3 minutes.

Dry roast the semolina in a separate pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until it turns light brown and fragrant. Keep stirring continuously to prevent it from burning. Once done, remove from heat and keep aside.

Add 2 cups of water and salt to the pan and bring it to a boil.

Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and slowly add the roasted semolina to the pan while continuously stirring to avoid lumps.

Keep stirring the mixture until the semolina absorbs all the water and the mixture starts to thicken. Cover the pan and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add chopped cilantro and lemon juice to the pan and mix well.

Serve hot upma with chutney or pickle of your choice.

Tips and Tricks:

Roasting the semolina before adding it to the pan is an important step in preparing upma. This not only enhances the flavor but also prevents the upma from becoming sticky.

Use a heavy-bottomed pan to prevent the upma from sticking to the bottom and burning.

You can add more or less water depending on how thick or thin you want your upma to be. Generally, the ratio of water to semolina is 2:1.

You can add other vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, or potatoes to the upma to make it more nutritious and flavorful.

Adding lemon juice at the end not only enhances the flavor but also prevents the upma from becoming dry.

You can adjust the amount of green chilies depending on your spice level preference.

If you want to make the upma more nutritious, you can substitute the semolina with other grains like quinoa, oats, or couscous.

Serve the upma hot and fresh, as it tends to become dry and lumpy when it cools down.