The one thing that’s in the mind of any mother is how to feed a good dose of vegetables to her children each day. As kids, whenever Mom would make Semolina Upma we would scrunch our noses up and make a face because the taste somehow never appealed to us. Complaining one day about how it’s an ordeal to feed the kids, she found a sympathetic ear in Nair Aunty who showed her an interesting, easy and healthy breakfast recipe that would have the children asking for more.
Fortified with vegetables, silky in texture and noodle-like, vermicelli or sevaiyan upma is liked by all age groups. Since then it’s been a regular breakfast delight in our kitchen. Quick and easy, with a plenitude of nutrients and versatility in the types of vegetables that can be used, it’s sans any fuss. The tempering of mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves initially and the final squeeze of lemon juice for tanginess at the end marks the dish as a good substitute for the South Indian Upma. Dress it up with a throw of roasted peanuts cashews for an extra crunch or to make it more fancy. We like to keep it light with just vegetables from the kitchen. It is just as delectable. The only thing to keep in mind is that the measure of vegetables and the sevaiyan must be equal to get a perfect balance of taste.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 cup sevayian (roasted) Roasted Sevaiyan is readily available in the market. If sevaiyan is not roasted, dry roast it first in a pan.
- 1 cup chopped vegetables beans, peas, carrots, capsicum, cauliflower
- 1 onion
- a pinch asafoetida (Hing)
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 lemon
- 1 sprig curry leaves (fresh)
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 sprig coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
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- In a pan, add asafoetida, curry leaves and mustard seeds to the vegetable oil. Once it crackles add urad dal till it turns pink in colour.
- Mix in the chopped onions and saute for a minute.
- Add the cup of mixed vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes till half done. Add salt to taste.
- Add the roasted vermicilli and mix with the vegetables for about a minute. Throw in the chopped coriander.
- Pour water to this and let it boil in high flame. Once the water starts boiling, lower the flame and cover cook, stirring now and then.
- After about ten minutes the vermicilli is cooked. Switch off the gas and leave it covered for another two minutes.
- Squeeze lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with a lemon slice or coriander. Sever hot.
