Vermicelli Upma

Saturday breakfast yesterday was vermicelli upma, south Indian style. Turned out fairly decent :)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups vermicelli / bambino  (Indian store)
• 3 Cups water
• 1 small onion cut into thin long slits
• 2 Green chillies chopped fine
• 1 Tblsp Mustard seeds
• 1 Tblsp Chana daal
• 1 Tblsp Urad daal
• 2 Tblsp cashew pieces
• 7-8 Curry leaves
• 2 Tblsp Oil
• 2 Tsp salt

I usually buy pre-roasted bambino from the Indian store - this is already golden brown when you buy it. If that isn't available, roast the 2 cups of bambino in a tblsp of oil for a couple of minutes on medium high heat until it turns a nice brown color. Remove and keep aside.

To formally begin, heat the oil in an open saucepan and add the mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds start to sputter, bring the heat down to medium and add the curry leaves, cashew pieces and the lentils. Fry these for a bit until the cashews and the lentils begin to turn golden. Now, add the chillies and the onions to the pan and saute for a few more minutes until the onions turn translucent or light brown.

Initial ingredients being sauteed

Once that happens, add the water and salt to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. You can taste the water at this time to see if the salt is appropriate. As the water begins to boil, ad the vermicelli and mix all the ingredients in the pan well.

Nearly done

Bring the heat down to medium low, cover the pan and wait for about 10 minutes. Once the water has evaporated, the upma is ready to be served. Best served with a piping hot cup of tea!