Upmaa or Sooji or Veggie Semolina

Upmaa or Sooji or Veggie Semolina

This upmaa recipe or sooji/ semolina with vegetables is a south Indian recipe usually served for breakfast. Upmaa is made with semolina/sooji with black mustard,urad dal.curry leaves,onion ginger and other vegetables.

Preparation Time - 15 min if  you don't have pre roasted sooji it will take little more time 
                                 to roast your sooji on a medium to low flame till it turns lightly brown
                                  
Cooking Time  - 20 -25 min
             
Ingredients 

1. Pre roasted semonila or sooji 1 cup
2. Mixed vegetables of your choice ( I used Peas,Sweet corn,Beans,Carrot,Red bell pepper or Red
    Capsicum,Brocolli)around 1 cup
3. 1 small Potato ( optional ).
4. Half of a big onion or 1 small onion (optional ).
5. 1 inch ginger
6. 1 Indian chilly
5. Few curry leaves
6. Peanuts little less than 1/4 cup
7. Black peppercorn 1/4 tsp (optional)
8. Black Mustard seeds 1/2 tspn.
9. Salt 1 and 1/4 teaspoon approximately or as per your taste.
10. Urad dal / Biuli dal/white lentil or split black lentil without the skin washed and soaked for 10 min.
11. Sugar 1 teaspoon or as per taste.Don't add too much sugar.
12.Water around 1/2 cup for cooking and around 2 cups for washing the sooji just before mixing in the veggies as it helps to give a better texture.I do it in this way. Follow the picture to get an idea.Don't soak it or it will turn mushy just give a wash and with the help of a sieve drain off the water.
13. Vegetable oil / Sunflower oil / Peanut oil - 2 table spoon approx

Preparation

1. Chop all the Veggies you are using into small cubes ( all the mixed vegetables, Potato, Onion).
2. Chop the ginger and the chilly into very small in size.
3. Dry roast the peanuts on a low flame ( no oil ) till u see its turning brown but not burnt. Follow the
    pictures.
4. If your semolina is not pre roasted then dry roast it on a low flame.
5. Boil/steam the mixed veggies .I usually add the broccoli at last.The bell pepper or capsicum I do not steam or boil it.I add it straight to the upmaa.

Cooking :-

1. Take an utensil ( I used Non stick ) and add oil, let the oil warm up and then add the black mustard seeds and let it crack followed by black peppercorn and urad dal . Let the urad dal turn brown.Add the curry leaves and the roasted peanuts.

2. Then add the chopped onion ,when it wilts then add the ginger, fry for a minute and then add the potatoes and fry covered.

3. When the potatoes are done add the washed sooji or semolina ( see pictures ) and mix. Add water sprinkle when needed but do not add 1/2 cup of water altogether otherwise sooji/semolina can become mushy,add water as and when needed to adjust the sooji/semolina  upma texture you desire.Add salt and sugar.Mix everything and cover cook.

4. Add the capsicum and cover cook.

5.Lastly when sooji/semolina is cooked add the mixed boiled/steamed veggies and mix.

6. serve the upmaa hot with a garnish of yoghurt topping.

Pictures:-