Bread Upma

Sunday Morning. Wake up late. And ask the man "what do you want for breakfast?" He says "Anything." I say "Fine. I will give you cereal." He says"no!" and pulls a face. The options are given one after the other : Dosa, Puttu, Upma... Nope. Nothing meets his fancy. I give up and as a last option say "Bread Upma" BINGO! Fine then. This is how I made it and the picture is how it looked!

Bread : 6 slices [I used wholemeal]
Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Mustard: 1 tsp
Peanuts: 2 tablespoons
Curry Leaves: 4-6 nos
Ginger : 1 inch piece chopped fine
Green Chillies: 4 to 5 [Depending on how spicy you want it]
Onions: 2 medium sliced fine.
Tomatoes: 2 big ripe ones, sliced
Green Peas: 1/4 cup
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing/Perumkayam: 1 pinch


Heat a kadai and fry the mustard, peanuts and curry leaves.
Add the Ginger and Green Chillies and then add the onions.
Add Salt and fry well, until the onions are limp but cooked. [ Bread has salt. So be careful about the amount you add]
Now add the turmeric, red chilli powder and hing.
Add the peas and tomato and let it cook for a few minutes
Chop up the bread into bite sized pieces.
Add it to the tomato mixture. Mix well.
Every piece of bread must be coated with the mix. Add 2 tablespoons of water if you would like.
Finish with some corriander leaves.

Curd Semiya

This is one of those dishes I came across while in Hyderabad. This is great quick meal, and is very healthy. This is brilliant for folks with Diabetes as well. So, here goes.

Vermicelli/Semiya : 2 Cups
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Onion: 1 Chopped
Green Chilli: 2 nos
Curry Leaves : 2-4
Mustard, Urad Dal, Chana Dal : for frying
Curd: 2 -3 Cups

Take a thick bottomed pan and fry the vermicelli in a small amount of oil.
Now, cook the vermicelli in 4 cups of water until done.
In a kadai heat oil, fry mustard, Urad Dal, Chana dal and curry leaves.
Add Green Chilli and Onion  and fry well.
Add this mix to the cooked Vermicelli, add the curd and chill for a few minutes.
Eat this cold, after garnishing with corriander leaves.

Semiya Payasam

This is a payasam that everyone loves in my family and I love making. Growing up, I remember, my Mom made this very frequently. She loved it and she would almost always serve it cold. :-) So here goes the recipe- Very easy to prepare.

Milk: 2 Cups [Preferably Full Cream]
Water: 1/3 cup
Vermicelli : 2-3 tablespoons
Ghee/Clarified Butter: 2 Tablespoons
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Raisins/Almonds/Cashew: 1-2 Tablespoons

-Get hold of a heavy bottomed pan. If you can't, use the base of a pressure cooker.
-Pour in the water first and then the milk. Boil well.
-While the milk boils, heat half the ghee and fry the vermicelli until brown and fragrant.
-Once the milk has simmered for about 10 mins, add the vermicelli and cook for 10-15 mins.
-Once cooked, add the sugar. This releases some water. So boil away for another 10 mins.
-Now, fry the cashew and raisin in ghee and add to the payasam.
-The payasam should be creamy and medium-thick.

Notes:
- Adding the water first will minimize the quantity of milk that sticks to the bottom. Easier to clean!
- Do not add sugar until the vermicelli is cooked. Sugar hinders cooking.
-If your payasam is watery, dont worry. Give it an hour off the flame. It should thicken up.