Uppuma (a cream of wheat dish)

You can get pretty creative with a simple cup of cream of wheat. This dish is served as breakfast or in between lunch and dinner as a filler. I have the basic recipe here. You can make it into a more hearty meal by adding any kind of vegetable. Eg. beans or any type of green vegetable diced, peas, shredded cabbage, tomatoes and bell peppers.

Pointer 1: Toast the cream of wheat in a dry wok^ for about 7 minutes. Keep the heat medium-hit. Make sure the cream of wheat does not turn brown. You may adjust the heat accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cream of wheat
• 1 medium-sized onion diced
• 2 green chillies
• 1 cup vegetables of your choice
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. urad dhal^
• 1 tsp. chana dhal^
• A Tbsp. of coriander leaves
• 1 Tbsp. curry leaves^ (optional)
• Powdered asafoetida^ (optional)
• 3 cups of hot water
• Salt to taste
  
  

Method:
Place wok on stove. Toast the cream of wheat. Add oil. Add mustard seeds. Let it spurt. Add the urad and chana dhal. Let it turn golden brown. Now add the onions and green chillies. Saute for a few minutes until the onions appear slightly glazed. Add the vegetables and let them cook for about 10 minutes. You may add salt at this point. Pour about 3 cups of hot water. Bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat just a little and let the vegetables cook well. If you like them to stay a little crisp, you may boil the mix for a shorter time. Slowly stir iin the toasted cream of wheat. Continue stirring so there are no clumps. The whole mix of cream of wheat and vegetables should thicken. Just sprinkle the asafoetida and mix into the cream of wheat. The water is usually absorbed completely. The consistency is a like a well mixed risotto. If the final result appears a little pasty, you may add a tsp. of butter.

Right before serving sprinkle the fresh coriander on top. This usually serves 2 people.

^ Please contact me for any of these ingredients or utensils.