Simple Kaju and Vegetable Upma( Tomato Baath )

Upma..., ( yes the regular plain upma ) i hated it so much growing up as a kid but now couldnt get enough of it.. There was a reason for my hatred then, Upma used to be on the breakfast menu atleast 2-3 times a week and my mom would never let us go to school with empty stomach.. If we didnt have time to eat she packs it for us to eat during the 15 min interval( break ).. Since i hated the plain upma, my mom used to make an array of versions in upma like Tomato baath, Veggie upma, Pappu upma( upma with moongdal ), semiya bath( vermicelli upma ), Goduma ravva upma( whole wheat germ upma ), Pindi( Cream of rice upma ) ... I wonder now how she managed to make breakfast and lunch just for us( separate lunch menu for adults at home ) by 7.30am in the morning.. Hats off mom... She used to make everything fresh every morning from scratch.. Hmm i miss all that luxury now... Love you mom!!! Now this Tomato Upma has become my husband Weekend's Favorite Brunch!!!

For 2-3 servings you need:

1 cup Sooji or Semolina
3 cups water
3-4 tbsp oil
2 small or 1 large ripe tomatoes
1 onion
4-5 green chillies
1 small red potato
1/4 cup green peas
1 small green bell pepper( optional )
10 green beans( optional )
1 small carrot ( optional )
15 - 20 cashew nuts / kaju
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 small bay leaf
3 cloves
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
10 curry leaves
Chopped cilantro

Method Of Preparation:

TIP: For that nuttiness and extra flavor first dry roast semolina aka suji in the kadai or saucepan the semolina or sooji until it turns into golden hue.

In a kadai or thick sauce pan heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, cashew nuts and let them pop. Now add cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, turmeric, chopped ginger, green chillies and onions. Add salt now as it helps the onions to sweat and cook them quickly.

Saute onions for 1 min and add all other veggies expect tomatoes. Dry saute the veggies for 2-3 min and them add the tomatoes, cover the lid and cook for 2-3 more min.

Once the tomatoes have been cooked soft, add water and cover the lid over high heat. Adjust salt to your taste at this point. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat and add the ravva ( semolina / suji ) slowly, stirring continuously so as to avoid any lumps.

Reduce the heat and cook the upma covered until all the water has been absorbed. Switch off the heat add let it sit for 5 more min covered.

TIP: To enhance the flavor and add that richness to the Upma drop in a dollop of Ghee( clarified butter ) on the top and mix in. To add more fiber use cracked whole wheat instead of semolina..

Toss in chopped coriander and serve immediately.

My husbands likes it so much he would be very pleased if i do it every weekend.. No complaints from my side though, since its easy, filling and nutritious too.. He likes it with coconut coriander chutney, but myself i like it with some good old traditional homemade mango pickle( mukkala pachadi ).. The evergreen mouth watering COMBO....

This recipe is on its way to WBB - Balanced Breakfast hosted by Mansi Desai.