upma

My husband has a few signature dishes. The most favoured are his pasta sauce, Indian lemon rice, and this one, which he makes for us every Saturday morning.

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JONATHAN’S WEEKEND UPMA WITH CHARRED OKRA

serves 2 – 3

This is a savoury semolina pilaf. Cut the vegetables into small uniform pieces so they cook evenly, and vary your choice of vegetables according to what is in season.

ingredients

1 cup/170g medium-ground semolina

2½ cups hot water

voggarane

⅓ cup/80ml peanut or coconut oil

½ tsp mustard seed

1 Tbsp split channa dāl

1 tsp split urad dāl

⅛ tsp asafoetida powder

10 cashew/peanuts, cut in half

1 dried red chilli, chopped

1 tsp cumin seed

10 curry leaves

⅛ tsp turmeric powder

~

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 green or red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp jaggery

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup/20g dried coconut

¼ cup coriander, chopped

toast the semolina

  1. Dry-fry the semolina in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring continuously until it turns golden brown or emits a good smell. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

prepare the voggarane

  1. Heat oil in a medium-large skillet. Add mustard seeds, channa and urad dāl, asafoetida, cashew, and chili; when mustard seeds pop and both dāl are golden-brown, add cumin, curry leaves, and turmeric—fry for 10 seconds.
  2. Stir in the carrot, green pepper, ginger, salt, sugar, lemon juice, and coconut, and add the water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 1 minute, then reduce heat.
  3. Pour in the semolina, stirring continuously – until the water has evaporated, 1 – 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the coriander, cover it, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.  When ready, fluff up with a fork and add more salt if desired. When serving, drizzle with ghee to aid digestion.

 

CHARRED OKRA

ingredients

300g small okra

2 Tbsp coconut/peanut oil

pinch asafoetida powder

a sprinkling of salt

preparation

  1. Using a small knife, trim the okra, removing the stem, slicing in half lengthwise and half again.
  2. Place a heavy-based frying pan on high and leave to heat for a few minutes; once hot, drizzle in a tiny bit of oil/ghee and asafoetida. Add the okra, stirring every minute. The okra should start to have dark blisters and a charred look—cook for 5 minutes until charred and soft.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately over the upma.

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Goodness shared from Stacey

Prepared by Jonathan