OATS VEGETABLE MASALA UPMA







I am back from my week-long road trip to Pittsburg, Niagara Falls, and New York. The babies managed the trip very well and they actually enjoyed the water spraying on their faces at the falls. This is our first long trip with the babies, a tedious one with the packing and unpacking but we did enjoy it, especially my in-laws.

The thing with oats is you either like it or you don’t. Some of my family members still wrinkle their noses when I say that I prepare a couple of Indian recipes with oats. Today when I was mentioning to my mil that I am planning to prepare upma with oats, the first thing she asked was “will it not be too mushy, how are you eating that stuff” but when both my father-in-law and mother-in-law tasted this upma they seemed to like it. I usually toast the oats in a pan or in the microwave until they are all toasty and while cooking, I will usually stir the oats just once until everything is mixed and let it cook under low-to-medium flame. This way the oats is whole and doesn’t turn mushy…well if you like the upma to be a little mushy, you can go ahead and add a little water and keep stirring it just as with any other upma.


INGREDIENTS:
1. Rolled oats, 1 cup.
2. Onion, medium size, 1.
3. Roma tomato, 1.
4. Green chilies, 2.
5. Mixture of chopped vegetables like carrot, green beans, capsicum, cauliflower, green peas, 1 cup. (I have used red bell pepper, carrot, and green peas)
6. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
7. Chili powder, 1 to ½ teaspoon depending upon preferred spice level.
8. Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
9. Cinnamon, a small stick.
10. Bay leaf, 1.
11. Fennel seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
12. Clove, 2.
13. Curry leaves, 3-4.
14. Chopped cilantro for garnishing.
15. Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Dry roast the oats under low-to-medium flame for 5-7 minutes and let it cool. Chop the onion and tomato and slit the green chilies into 2. Heat a thick-bottomed pan with a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves, and fennel seeds and fry for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions now and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are tender. Then add the chopped tomatoes along with the green chilies, curry leaves, and salt and keep sautéing until everything is well blended. Add the chopped mixed vegetables along with chili powder and keep frying under low flame for 2-3 minutes until the chili powder loses its raw smell. Add 2 cups of water now and let it come to a boil. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the flame and add the oats. Mix everything once and cook closed for10 minutes under low-to-medium flame. Do not stir in between, this helps the oats from getting too mushy. Garnish with chopped cilantro once the upma turns dry and the vegetables have been cooked and serve hot with pickle.

18 comments:

Kalyani said...

First time here, and you have a unique blog here Gita :-) jumped on to this from FB ! Great to know u..

Cheers
Kalyani
NEW EVENT : Healthy Lunchbox Ideas – HLI - Carrots
Indian Mithai Mela ending 8th Aug

priya said...

looks so healthy and delicious...nice pics too

GEETHA ACHAL said...

Love the healthy version upma...

Thanks for sharing...

How did you manage the babies with those long journeys...Me till now scared of long travels in the car...So most of the time we fly...

Rachana said...

That upma would make me really happy at the breakfast table :-)

Madhura Manoj said...

Healthy & so tempting upma.
http://www.easycookingforamateurs.com/

divya said...

vey healthy and colorful upma!!!superb presentation gita!!

Uma Anandane said...

Looks delicious and your in-laws should be happy tasting different varieties of food from a good cook

Suja Manoj said...

Innovative recipe..sounds healthy and delicious

kitchen queen said...

I would just love to grab the bowl of oats upma since it looks very lovely and tempting and secondly it makes me feel hungry too.

Unknown said...

wow, so very new, love the recipe and so healthy too.

Indian Khana said...

Colorful, yum n delicious ....

FOODILICIOUS said...

Looks delicious & healthy!!..perfect for a wholesome breakfast!!

http://deviliciouschef.blogspot.com/

Malar Gandhi said...

Nice oats upma, perfect way to relish oats.

Alpana said...

Wow what a great idea......love it. V nice blog & your recipes will be very informative for me as my husband is diabetic too. Thanks for sharing.
Do visit me at smart-snacks.blogspot.com

Sujaa Sriram said...

Great recipe dear sure will give a try... :-)

Sujaa Sriram said...

Great recipe dear, will surely give a try:-)

DV said...

Thanks for the good explanation on how to cook oats. This is a healthy alternative, indeed!

-Divya
TastyVegCooking

Noah Berkowitz said...

I admire your healthy recipe, very ideal for a vegetarian like me and is under go on diet.
Thanks for sharing it!
-Noah Berkowitz-