Upma 

(Savory South Indian 

Cream of Wheat)

This is a savory South Indian breakfast dish. I remember my friend's mom making it for us (but I can never get it just like hers), which is how I was introduced to it. The ingredients here are basically rava/sooji/cream of wheat, oil, mustard seeds, urad dal (legumes, to add flavor), onion powder, and green peas. Sometimes, I want something fairly quick and easy. This is also very warm and comforting. It fits both descriptions. Win-win! 

Sooji Upma 

(South Indian Savory Porridge)

This was made from sooji/rava/farina/semolina (like Cream of Wheat). This is based on the recipe of @justagirlfrommumbai as seen on a recent Instagram Story, as well as her website. I think I added a little too much turmeric! (which changed the color). Also, I have to grind up cashews, so you can't see them here. However, that has nothing to do with the taste. This dish was warm and comforting, as well as nourishing. It's excellent with yogurt.

Just a Girl from Aamchi Mumbai Website, Another Breakfast Post - Sooji Upma

Aval/Poha Upma 

(Indian Pounded Rice Pilaf)

This is a dish from Maharashtra, India, made with aval/poha (Indian pounded rice), mustard and cumin seeds, frozen peas & carrots, potatoes, turmeric, and salt and seasonings. The recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. It's good for a nice light meal, with yogurt. Instead of adding lemon juice to the complete finished dish, I like to squeeze some fresh lemon juice on the portion I'm about to eat. The 1st pic is the veggies before the grain was added in. Yummy! 

Upma

This is a South Indian breakfast dish featuring rava/sooji/like cream of wheat. Cooked this time with a little oil, mustard and cumin seeds, urad and channa dals/legumes, salt, onion powder, mirepoix mix (chopped carrot/onion/celery), and "spring veggies" (zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots). A nice, light meal when served with creamy yogurt. 

Paniyaram-Papadum Upma Bread Pizza

This is the last in what has apparently become a series, "How to Use Up Leftover Paniyaram." (You can check out recent posts for details about Paniyaram, if you like.) Yesterday's post showed Paniyaram and Papadum, broken up and cooked with spices to make an Upma. The day after that photo, I decided to go a step further: I spread some store-bought pasta sauce on toast, before topping it with the Upma, and popping it all in the microwave. Then, I sprinkled over it, some Bhujia Sev (crispy fried noodles made from legume flour). Afterwards, I cut it into bite-size pieces. Another odd experiment, that turned out fairly tasty. It's amazing how many kinds of leftovers can be turned into sandwiches and pizza!

Paniyaram-Papadum Upma Sandwich, 

with Harissa (Moroccan chili sauce)

This is another way to use leftover Paniyaram (South Indian dumplings). (For more information on how I made the Paniyaram, you can see my post from the end of May, if you like.)

I know that people make Idli Upma, with crumbled leftover Idlis (another kind of South Indian dumplings), and decided I would do something similar. Except, when I went to add the Paniyaram to the oil and spices in the pan, I realized that I had far fewer than I thought. What to do? I decided to add some Papadum. These are store-bought legume wafers that are usually puffed in oil, but I puffed them in the microwave, instead, and broke them up, before adding them in.

The other ingredients were mustard seeds, urad and channa dals (legumes), a little onion powder, frozen chopped onion/carrot/celery, and salt. After mixing everything together, I added a little water as needed, and cooked the mixture on low, covered, until I felt it was done. Afterwards, I used it to top some toast spread with Harissa. As you may have noticed by now, I like to use all kinds of leftovers to top sandwiches!

• Pesarattu Upma 

• (Whole Green Mung Bean Dosa with Cream of Rice)

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• The Pesarattu/Moong Dal Dosa here, based on the recent recipe on YouTube by Easy Cooking with Ekta, is a South Indian "crepe" made of soaked and ground-up whole green mung beans. It is very hearty, and so, it could be good for someone who likes meat, but has to cut back. Here, it is filled with Upma, made from Cream of Rice (but usually made with sooji/rava/like Cream of Wheat), as well as tomatoes, yogurt, and spices. I understand, from what I've seen online recently, that this combination of Pesarattu and Upma is traditional. I think the two together, provide a successful balance, and am glad I tried the combination!

• The Upma recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking.

Easy Cooking with Ekta YouTube, Moong Dal Dosa / Pesarattu Recipe

Matzah Upma (South Indian Savory Porridge)

Upma is a South Indian savory dish made with sooji (like Cream of Wheat), or you can make it with sevai (noodles). I have also made it with Cream of Rice, and seen recipes for bread upma. This time, I thought I'd experiment with a matzah version. Aside from matzah, it includes oil, mustard seeds, a little each of channa dal and urad dal, salt, onion, green bell pepper, tomato, and green peas; served with a squeeze of lemon juice. I was glad to find that it tasted just like upma! 

Sevai Upma

This is similar to the upma with sooji/rava (like savory Cream of Wheat), but with small bits of thin vermicelli instead of sooji/rava. The chopped jalapeño pepper made it very spicy.