Semolina Upma was another dish that used to find its way into my tiffin box quite often, but I must admit that it tastes much much better when served hot.

Roasted Semolina / Suji – 1 cup
Onion – 1 no big
Coriander / curry leaves – finely chopped
Garlic – 2 flakes (finely chopped) – optional
Ginger – ½ inch (finely chopped)
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Gram daal or white lentils – 1 tsp (also called chana daal / Urad daal)
Fresh / frozen peas – ½ cup
Oil – 1 tbsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water – 2 cups

1. In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once its stops spluttering add Gram daal
2. Now add Ginger and Garlic and sauté lightly
3. Add onions and sauté.
4. Add peas, chilli powder and coriander and sauté.
5. Add water and salt.
6. Once it boils add roasted semolina with continuous stirring, else lumps would form.
7. Close lid and cook on low flame for 10 seconds.
8. Open lid and stir.
9. Garnish with coriander and serve.

You can also use finely chopped green chilli in place of red chilli powder. Serve this with ripe banana. For those who don’t know how to combine these two…its fairly simple. Just cut a piece of banana and smash it along with little upma and tada! . Few people like to sprinkle sugar too; but its totally your choice.

Till next time….happy cooking!

Credit:  Jayalakshmi from Chennai.  A an excellent homemaker with an eternal passion for cooking.

For recipe click here..

The quickest thing to make when you get a craving for sweet… I normally have it as halwa. It’s only in Kerala i saw people setting it and cutting diamond pieces of it to make it look like a barfi. Which I think is a good way to serve when you have guests at home. Besides the recipe also differs. I used to add sugar to the water while boiling unlike in this recipe. Here’s the recipe I picked up from Mini Ammai (Q’s aunt)….

Roasted Semolina (Rava/Suji) – 1 cup
Sugar – 2 cups
Water – 2 cups
Saffron – few threads
Ghee – 2 – 3 Tbsp
Cardomom powder – 1-2 tsp
Cashew – 3 Tbsp
Raisins – 2 tsp

1. Fry cashew in 1 tsp of ghee and keep aside
2. Add semolina to the wok
3. Parallely boil water with saffron
4. Add boiled water to semolina. Cover the vessel and cook it on low flame
5. Open the lid when the whole of water is absorbed and keep stirring
6. Add cardamom powder, cashew, raisins and sugar and keep stirring
7. Add ghee in small amounts in between stirring.
8. It’s almost done if it starts leaving sides of the wok
9. Grease mould with ghee and transfer above into it
10. Apply little ghee on your fingers and pat the halwa into the mould uniformly and keep aside for cooling

When at room temperature cut diamond shapes out of it. Place additional fried cashews on top of each diamond cuts for garnishing and serve

Till tomorrow….happy cooking!

that’s Mini aunt for you…:)