Weekend Lunch Series: Vermicelli (Sevai) Upma

Upma of any kind brings a smile to my face. It has to be one of my most adored dishe of all time. There was a time though, when I had completely stopped eating Upma.....why? Read on.....at your own risk.


When I was younger, we went on a school trip to Rajasthan....our school had employed 3 cooks for our group back then. When we got to Jaipur in the morning, we stopped somewhere for breakfast, and while we all waited, the cooks made breakfast for us...

I was literally salivating as my Gitamasi, who also happened to be my Math teacher at the school, told me that it would be my favorite - Upma. I was so excited....but when I sat down to eat, I found a disgusting piece of black hair in it. I screamed mentally and quietly threw away the Upma. I stopped eating Upma completely after that incident, I was so put off. Its only been 4 years since I started eating it again....yes, after a gap of many,many years. Every time someone made Upma, I was reminded of the Bai that made food for us during our school trip and I'd get disgusted. To this day, I tie my hair in a tight bun when I start to cook!

Back to the present, I make Upma almost every week now, I started eating it when my mother in law made me the best Upma while I was pregnant with Sahil. I enjoyed it so much that she used to make it for me a lot...and this was one of the only things that I could keep down, in my initial months....
This recipe is just another form of Upma to me...in a noodle form. I love it for its taste and texture....do try it if you haven't already.

This is also my entry to Laxmi's wonderful event - RCI.

You will need:

• 1 cup - roasted Sevai (Vermicelli)
• 1 medium red onion- chopped
• 1 large Jalapeño- chopped
  
• A mix of peas and corn - use fresh or frozen
• Mustard seeds, Urad daal, Curry Leaves, Oil - for the tempering
• Salt, a pinch of sugar, a drop or two of lemon juice
• 1 cup water - rough estimate
  

Roast the Sevai in a teaspoon of oil until lightly golden brown. Set aside. In another pan, heat a tbsp of Oil, add the mustard seeds, Urad daal, Curry leaves. When they all sizzle, add the onions and jalapeño. Give this a stir until the onions turn translucent. Add the peas and corn at this point. Give it another whirl....and add the sevai. Slowly add enough water to cover the sevai,add the salt, pinch of sugar and lemon juice, lower the heat a bit and let it cook...making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. The Sevai will turn soft in a few minutes. Serve hot. A perfect way to kick start the weekend, I say.....enjoy it.

RCI Image Courtesy: Laxmi