Broken Rice Upma

This is my favorite tiffin from my childhood; this is one of those never satiating foods that we love to have from our mom's kitchen. Another unique thing about this upma is, it is made from 'upma kappi' which is broken rice; I have never seen this in stores, it is home made or mom-sent. It is a staple in our home and a comfort food for everyone. My paternal grandpa used to say, 'Ponni rice is born to take the form the upma kappi' meaning that upma kappi made of ponni rice (a variety of rice) is best suited for upmas.

Ingredients:

1. Broken rice - 2 cups

2. Carrot - 2

3. Onion - 2

4. Green peas - 1 fistful

5. Corn kernels - 1 fistful

6. Green chilies - 2

7. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

8. Water - 4 cups

9. Oil - 3 tbsp

10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

11. Urad dal - 1 tbsp

12. Bengal gram - 1 tbsp

13. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash the vegetables; chop the onion, carrot and green chilies.

                        

Step 2: Heat a kadai, temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, bengal gram, asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilies and saute onion in that until translucent.

Step 3: Heat measured water with salt in another stove in parallel.

Step 4: Add carrot to the kadai and saute for 2 minutes, roast the broken rice along with the vegetables for 2 more minutes.

Step 5: Pour the hot water and close with a lid immediately; simmer the stove.

Step 6: After 5 minutes open the lid, add peas and corn and stir well.

Step 7: If uncooked and dry, sprinkle some water. Adjust salt and close the lid again for 5 minutes.

Step 8: Open stir well and switch off stove. If you prefer 'kandal', slightly burnt upma forming a thick bottom layer; keep in simmer for 5 more minutes.

Step 9: Serve hot with coconut chutney or idli podi or curds. Jaggery or sugar also goes well with this upma.

Sabudana Kitchadi

Like idly-sambar is for south-Indians, sabudana kitchadi is for maharastrians. Once a colleague of mine Roselin brought this to office, that was the first time I tasted it, loved it and I learnt to prepare this from her. Until I dug into the web, I thought sabudana is no healthy ingredient and had a dumb taste but for the condiments used to prepare it. But the internet lit upon me the goodness of these tiny pearls. Sabudana is made of tapioca and is non-gluttonous and very very healthy and cooling to the body. In olden days sabudana or sago was made in cottage industries and were mostly unhygienic which is another reason we at home used to avoid it for, but now with industrial manufacturing in place this is not an issue; so all of us can happily relish it.  I would call this a wholesome breakfast as this is full of multi-nutrients. 

Ingredients:

1.       Sabudana – 1 cup

2.       Potato – 2

3.       Peanuts – 1/3 cup

4.       Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

5.       Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

6.       Green chilies – 2 chopped

7.       Curry leaves -1 sprig

8.       Asafoetida -1 pinch

9.       Salt as per taste

10.   Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Soak the sabudana in water for 30 minutes, then drain the water and leave it covered overnight. Some people leave it soaked in water the whole night and others soak just for 2 hours; it depends upon the type of sabudana grains you use. Just make sure they neither get dissolved nor are hard in the centre.

Step 2: Dry roast the peanuts, let it cool for some time and then grind it coarsely in the mixer.

Step 3: Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes.

Step 4: In a non-stick pan, heat oil, splutter mustard & cumin, sprinkle asafoetida, add curry leaves & green chillies and then sauté the cubed potatoes in it with some salt until they are done.

Step 5: Now add the sabudana, peanut powder, salt and mix with light hand so as to not mash the Kitchadi.

Step 6: Once mixed well, turn off stove immediately; not much cooking is required; else sabudana would become lumpy.

Step 7: Serve hot with curds if necessary. Actually this goes best without any accompaniment.

Humble Risotto

Risotto is a kind of Italian dish prepared with starchy rice varieties, mostly arborio. It is usually cooked to a creamy texture using vegetable or meat stock and then spiced as per need. You get only imported arborio in India; I used local brown rice which is also short grained and starchy, even the normal idli rice should work. Yeah, it may not taste ditto like arborio risottos because I'm translating it and not transliterating :)

Ingredients:

1.       Brown rice – 1 cup

2.       Butter – 1 blob

3.       Onion – 1 chopped finely

4.       Tomato – 1 chopped finely

5.       Vegetable stock – 3 cups

6.       Pepper powder – 1 tsp

7.       Italian seasoning – 1 tsp

8.       Salt as per taste

9.       Mint to garnish

10.   Fresh cream or grated cheese (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Heat butter in a non-stick pan, sauté onion in that and then roast the brown rice in that. Boil the stock in parallel, we’ll use them periodically.

Step 2: Add stock to the rice to the level the rice just submerges and cover it. Sprinkle required salt. Stir occasionally.

Step 3: Once the water is absorbed, add some more stock to cover the rice and let it cook. Add in chopped tomatoes. Repeat adding stock, until it is fully done. Slow cooking is the essence of risotto, it takes about 45 minutes.

Step 4: Sprinkle seasoning, pepper and add cream/cheese if using and stir well. Adjust salt.

Step 5: Garnish with mint leaves and serve hot.