Fix. M. Fast - Upma's for every day

This was the common breakfast almost all the days. Many people tend not to like Upma's but if properly made - its yummy, and better to have a side dish like coconut/tomato chuttney, sambar and/or pickle. Papad and Boiled bananas are added delicacy. Smoothie/Tea/Coffee of your choice is an added bliss.

Carrot/Onion/Potatoes/Tomatoes/Pumpkin/Beans/Capsicum are the common vegetables that we could add to most Upma based on availability/taste.

The basics normally are same - Heating oil in a pan, adding mustard seeds, urad dal/lentels, curry leaves, greeen chilly + vegetables+ salt+Main ingredient+ Water if needed + Garnish ( Coriander leaves/dry fruits/ghee/peanuts)

1) Broken Wheat Upma (My mother's favourite):
In pressure cooker, add 1/4th cup broken wheat along with 1/2 cup water. Pressure cook on high for 3-4 whistles and lower the heat and leave it on low for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release naturally. In a pan, add a teaspoon of ghee. Once the ghee is warm add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds sputter, add torn curry leaves to the pan along with 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Can add grated/cooked carrots as well.

2) Bread Upma (My father's favouriteand one of my recipes published in Indian express some 20 years before ):

Heat oil in a Kadai, lower the flame and add the mustard seeds, allow them to splutter, next add urad dal and allow it to roast until the urad dal is browned. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies, chopped onions, chopped capsicum and saute for about a minute and a half. Once the onions are softened, add the tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy. Now add in the garam masala powder/chaat masala powder and saute until all the flavours combine. Add salt for taste, Once done finally stir in the cut bread pieces and toss gently. Saute until the bread pieces are coated well with the masalas. Check the taste and spices and adjust accordingly. Turn off the heat and garnish the bread upma with coriander leaves.

3) Vegetable Rave Upma (My Hubby's favourite):
In a saucepan; boil 3 cups of water along with salt and a dash of sugar if needed; In paralled heat oil in heavy bottomed pan on medium heat; add mustard seeds, half urad dal seeds and allow it to crackle. Stir in the onions, ginger, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilies and sauté until onions are tender. Add the carrots and beans (Either you can cook them here, or pressure cook and add them here) Stir in the one cup semolina and roast along with the onion mixture until you get the light roasted aroma. Gradually pour the hot water into the above mixture and continue to stir in the process. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and allow the Rava Upma to cook and steam in the heat. Keep stirring occasionally to avoid lumps. This will take about 10 minutes. Keep it covered for 5 minutes after switching it off. Sooji Upma Recipe With Coconut/Tomatoes/Tamrind are also yummy provided it is moist and there are no lumps :

4) Vegetable Semiya Upma, (My In-Laws favourite)

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottomed pan; add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add in the urad dal and allow it to roast until it turns into a light brown colour. Next add onions, ginger, curry leaves and sauté for about a minute. Now add in the vegetables and saute until lightly they are cooked yet have the crunch in the bite. This will take about a minute.
At this stage add in the roasted 2 cup semiya, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, turmeric powder, sugar, red chilli powder, and salt to taste, Sprinkle approximately 1 cup of water on the vermicelli mixture and stir. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until you notice that the water is almost absorbed. After a few minutes, open and stir the upma mixture, you will notice the semia getting steamed and cooked. Depending on the type of vermicelli used, you might need to add another 1/2 cup of water to cook the upma. At this stage keep adding a little by little, cover the pan and allow it it steam on medium heat. Check if the Semiya is cooked (it should soft and cooked when tasted). Once again to the softness test, the vermicelli should still be noodle like and not soggy sticking together. At this stage if you feel it needs more cooking, then sprinkle only 2 tablespoons at a time and cover and simmer. Once cooked, turn of the heat and keep the pan covered with the upma for about 5 minutes. This will incorporate all the ingredients well into the upma and bring out delicious flavors and textures. Finally turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves and a tablespoon of ghee for added flavour. (Tomato Semiya upma are yummy too)

5) Poha (Batata{Potato}/Onion) (My sisters favourite)

Add 1 tsp sugar and ¾ tsp salt on soaked poha and mix gently. In a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil and roast 2 tbsp peanuts on low flame. Roast until the peanuts turn crunchy, keep aside, in the same oil, splutter 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp cumin, pinch hing and few curry leaves. Further add 1 onion, 2 chilli and saute well, saute until onions shrink slightly without browning, further, add ¼ tsp turmeric and saute well. Add in soaked poha and mix gently until everything is combined well. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the flavours are absorbed well. Also add 2 tbsp coconut, 2 tbsp coriander and 2 tsp lemon juice. mix gently. Finally, enjoy kanda poha topped with some sev. (You can add cooked potatoes to this with onion - which is my favorite. In case some at home have gastric issue, we can also use carrot/pumpkins.

6) Andhra Style Coconut Flavored Rice Upma:, grind soaked for 3 hours and drained 2 cup idli rice, along with freshly grated coconut, dry red chillies, make a coarse mixture with 1/4 cup of water. Set aside. Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and add coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, dry red chillies and groundnuts. Once they all turn light brown, crunchy, add the coarse coconut and rice mixture into the pan and mix it. Keep it closed and cook for about 20 minutes on low heat. Adjust water if needed. Stir with a ladle every 5 minutes or so. Keep it closed and cook until the rice gets cooked and water is absorbed.

7) Ragi Flour Upma make a thick batter out of one cup ragi flour, salt and beaten curd in a bowl. The consistency of the batter should be that of an idli batter. If needed add little water to get the thick pouring consistency. You will need approximately 3/4 to 1 cup of water. Heat a pan/kadai and add ghee. Do the tempering of mustard, urad dal, green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves. Allow the urad dal to turn golden brown and crisp. Transfer the Ragi Pachchai Maa Puli Upma batter to the pan with the tempering and cook till it absorbs all the moisture and becomes grainy and little crispy. Cook on medium heat. It takes about 3 to 4 minutes for it to become grainy and cooked. If you feel the Ragi Puli Upma is too dry, you can sprinkle some water and cook it further. Keep the pan covered and mix a couple of times in between and serve the Pachchai Maa Puli Upma immediately. { Traditionally rice flour is first mixed with the sour curd and after seasoning, cooked on a medium heat to get the grainy consistency. Along with seasoning of mustard, chana dal, urad dal, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves is an heirloom recipe of Tamilnadu.

8) Sabudhana Kichadi: Soak two cup of sago overnight and drain the water in the morning. In a large wok, fry mustard seeds, add a fistful of roasted peanuts, three finely-chopped boiled potatoes and a few chopped green chillies. Stir them in the wok, for a few minutes, then add salt, coriander powder. Finally sprinkle some finely chopped coriander leaves on the fluffy sabudana. Turning off the heat, cover the wok with a lid and keep a weight on it for a few minutes, allowing the sabudana to steep in all the ingredients. Then remove the lid and sprinkled a few teaspoons of lemon juice on the preparation.

Best out of Left overs:
1) Puttu Upma: With Scrambled Eggs, heat oil in a kadai on medium heat, add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle, next add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. To this add urad dal and saute till it turns into a light brown colour. Now add green chilli, curry leaves, turmeric powder and crack open the egg and scramble it for about half a minute. Once the eggs are nicely scrambled, add the crumbled puttu. Add salt and mix well. Sprinkle some water and mix well. Close with a lid and cook on low flame for a minute. This will make the puttu softer.

2) Vadai Upma Recipe: Break the vadas with your hands and make it appear like crumbs. Heat a wok/kadhai on medium flame, add the oil, once the oil is hot, add hing, mustard seeds, bengal gram dal, red chilli and saute well. Add green chillies, onions and let it fry for a minute. Add onion, salt, turmeric and let it cook well. Add curry leaves and let it cook for a minute. Add the crumbled vadai and mix well. Let it cook well for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

3) Idli Upma: Heat a teaspoon of oil in a heavy bottomed pan; add in the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle for a few seconds.Then add in the split urad dal and allow it to roast and turn light brown in color.Once the dal is roasted we will add in the chopped onions, the ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute on medium heat until the onions are transparent. Once tender we will add in the turmeric powder and the crumbled idlis and some salt to taste.Sprinkle a little water so the idlis don't get too dry, you want them to be moist and flavorful when the upma is done. Stir all the ingredients well. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and allow the idli upma to simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes.
After 3 to 4 minutes, add in the chopped coriander leaves and stir well to combine. Turn off the heat and serve the Idli Upma hot.

4) Egg Idiyappam Recipe: Heat oil a pan, add the cumin seeds; when it begins to sizzle add in very finely chopped green chillies, curry leaves, chopped onions and saute till onion turns golden brown. At this stage stir in the beaten eggs, steamed carrots, turmeric powder and allow it to cook for a minute or two until the eggs gets a scrambled texture. Finally add the cooked Idiyappam, salt and mix lightly without breaking the Idiyappam.Garnish the Egg Idiyappam fresh coriander.

5) You could try this with all types of left over Chapatti/Rotting/Parattas as well.

6) For Non Vegetarians, Upmas can been made yummy by adding the left over chicken/mutton/beef/fish or any other curry/roast/stew.

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