Upma for the Indian Mother's Soul

A popular breakfast dish all over India, Upma flaunts its versatility by also serving as a hearty snack, savory side dish, quick lunch, or light dinner.  I love breakfast that can be eaten for dinner!  Originally from South India (my son is half Telugu), this dish, pronounced "oohp-maa," varies across the regions on vegetables and flavors.  My mom did not prepare Upma when I was young, perhaps because we were such carnivores in our house.  My mom started cooking it in the last few years, though.  My sister-in-law's all-vegetarian family makes it regularly and so do my Southie in-laws.  Now, it's a staple in our household because of the straightforward recipe and healthy ingredients.  Much like Sheero, Upma has become a comfort food that reminds me of when my mom was helping me after my son was born.   It has become another cherished family recipe.

My version of Upma is a lunch dish that is soft, fluffy, and rich and made of roasted rava mixed with onions, vegetables, spices, and cashews.  Choose vegetables according to your taste.  In my lazy mommy version, I add the frozen mixed vegetable packages found in the grocery store to simplify the cleaning/cutting/dicing step.  In contrast, my husband's family eats it plain and with a smoother, more liquid consistency.

Upma Recipe

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Rava or Sooji from the Indian store --substitute cream of wheat from supermarket
• 3 tbsp cooking oil, i.e. canola oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 - 3 cup hot water (pre-heated in microwave)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 or 2 medium onions, chopped
• vegetable mix - peas, carrots, green beans, corn 
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 3/4 medium chopped green chilies
• 1/2 tsp crushed ginger paste
  
• 1-2 tbsp yogurt (optional)
• salt to taste
  
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews (for protein)
• fresh chopped cilantro or coriander to garnish
• lemon juice to taste

Preparation :

1. Heat  oil and butter in a pan over medium flame. 
2. When oil is slightly hot, add cumin and mustard seeds.  Add onions when the seeds begin to pop and fry until onions become translucent and soft.
3. Lightly roast rava about 10-15 minutes until it just begins to turn pink.  Stir constantly to prevent lumps.
4. Stir in hot water and salt.  Then, add mixed vegetables that have already been cooked for 5 minutes in the microwave.  Bring to boil.
5. Add turmeric powder, ginger paste, and green chillies.
6. Stir in yogurt according to your taste.
7. The upma is done when all the water is absorbed by the rava.
8. Garnish with cashews, chopped cilantro leaves, and lemon juice.  Turn off stove and close lid.
9. Serve hot.

Sheero for the Indian Mother's Soul

In the state of Gujarat (the home state of my parents), Sheero is a sweet food (called prasad) that is offered to the deities and then distributed among the guests at the end of many religious ceremonies. I remember going to these ceremonies (or pujas) when I was younger and enjoying the taste of it at the end of another long, unintelligible Hindu ceremony.  It was a reward for sitting through an Indian function that I probably did not want to attend in the first place.

Sheero does not have the religious connotations for me anymore, but rather it has become my comfort food.  The tasty treat reminds me of the admirable woman that my mom is.  After my son was born, my mom came to stay with us and helped me with my son and with household chores for several months.  I would not have survived without her.  During this time, she made sheero for me every week because it is one of my favorites.  I am grateful for the family recipes and traditions that my mom has passed down to me.

Sheero is soft, fluffy, and rich and made of roasted cream of wheat mixed with milk, butter, sugar, cardamom, and almonds.  Many people add raisins and you can add fruits such as banana, grapes, apples and pineapple to give it a sweet and fruity flavor.   I love my mom's simple recipe the best, of course.  My mom has learned over the years to exclude raisins from almost everything if she expects me to eat it.  I like raisins on their own but for some reason, I don't like them mixed into my food.

Sheero Recipe

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Ravo or Sooji from the Indian store --> substitute cream of wheat from supermarket
• one stick unsalted butter --> my mom uses 1/2 cup of ghee
• 4 cups hot low-fat milk  --> my mom uses whole milk and others use water
• a little less than 1 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  
• 1 teaspoon saffron

Preparation :

1. Place non-stick pot over medium heat and melt the butter.
2. Pour one cup ravo/sooji/cream of wheat and stir continuously for about 12 minutes, or until the mixture becomes slightly pinkish-beige in color.
   
3. Add hot milk (pre-heat in microwave) and stir.  The mixture may bubble so keep your body turned away from the pot.  Stir until the milk is absorbed.
   
4. Add sugar and keep stirring.  Do not let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot.
   
5. By now, the sheero will be soft and fluffy.  Add cardamom powder, chopped almonds, and saffron and stir.  
6. Turn off the stove and keep the pot covered for about 5 minutes.