Spicy Bread Upma

Wake the sense of smell and taste and spice up your morning by swapping the daily toast to this simple savory bread upma. Turn your dry bread pieces into soft and spicy bites.  This is a dish you can make in a snap as it takes hardly 10 mins of your time and its guaranteed that the plate is gonna be emptied once served. Here goes the recipe and have a great morning.

Ingredients:

4-5 Whole wheat bread (1" pieces)

1/2 medium Yellow onion (finely chopped)

1 Roma tomato (finely chopped)

4-5 Curry leaves

3 dry red chilli (broken)

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

1 pinch Asafoetida

1tbsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• Heat oil in a skillet, add the mustard seeds, dry red chilli, urad dal and asafoetida.

• Then add onions and curry leaves along with some salt, followed by turmeric powder and saute until tender.

• Now add the tomatoes and cook until its completely mashed up.

• Add the sliced bread pieces and mix well to coat the bread with the mixture.

• Saute for 2 -3 mins, switch off and garnish with chopped cilantro.

• Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Oats Upma

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Oats (old-fashioned)

1/2 Yellow onion (chopped)

2 Green Chilli (cut lengthwise)

1tsp Ginger (minced)

5-6 Curry leaves

1/2tsp mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

8-10 Almonds (optional)

2 1/4 cups Water

2tsp + 1tsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• Heat 1tsp of oil in a pan, roast the almonds and keep it aside.

• Heat 2tsp oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add urad dal, followed by asafoetida.

• Then add onions along with little salt and saute until tender.

• Add green chilli, curry leaves and ginger and saute for a couple of mins or until onions turn golden brown.

• Then pour the water along with salt, when it starts to boil, add the oats, mix well and cook for 7 mins with lid closed. (Stir once or twice to avoid sticking or burning at the bottom.)

• Remove the lid, gently stir and cook until water is all evaporated and left dry.

Switch off, serve warm topped with roasted almonds and hot sauce as a side.

Quinoa Upma

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Quinoa (pre-rinsed)

1/2 Yellow onion (chopped)

1 long green chilli (slit)

4-5 Curry leaves

1tsp Ginger (grated)

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

1tbsp Oil

1 cup Water

Salt

How to:

• Pressure cook the quinoa along with water and salt. (Just like white rice.)
• Remove and fluff it with a fork and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal.

• Then add onions along with salt and saute until tender.

• Add green chilli, ginger and curry leaves and saute for 3-4 mins.

• Then add the fluffed quinoa, mix well and cook for a couple of mins in a medium-low flame.

• Check salt for taste and switch off.

Serve warm with hot sauce/pickle/sugar.

Rava Upma

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Rava (sooji)

4tbsp Yellow onion (chopped)

1 serrano pepper/2 green chilli (slit)

1 piece ginger (minced)

6-7 curry leaves

1/2tsp mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

2 1/2 cups water

1tbs ghee

3tbsp oil

salt

How to:

• In a pan, slightly dry roast the rava till you get nice aroma and keep it aside.
• In another skillet, heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add urad dal followed by onions and saute.
• Now add the green chilli, curry leaves and ginger and saute well.

• Then pour the water along with required salt and let it boil.

• Now, slowly add the roasted rava and stir continuously preventing any lumps.

• Let it cook in slow flame still stirring, also add the ghee and mix well.

Serve with pickle or hot sauce or sugar(my choice).

A quick dish for breakfast or evening tiffin.