Varagu arisi upma/Kodo Millet upma

Gear up for lot of changes in Enveetu Kitchen’s cooking style. You are going to see a lot of Millets here. Yes, after finding a bag of Varagu arisi @ Al Adil here, i m so experimenting with this humble grain. It was Varagu arisi Venpongal previously and now today i m bringing you upma. The most hated breakfast recipe in most of the house-hold. Hey, but when made with proper ingredients it also tastes good. I made this varagu upma for our breakfast yesterday. i added just 2 veggies, but feel free to add veggies of your choice. I served it with Masoor dal for my family and myself with curd for my lunch. It tasted good with both the condiments, but i would recommend curd. The spicy upma paired well with mild curd.

Ingredients

1 cup varagu arisi/Kodo Millet
2 nos medium-sized onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium-sized carrot, grated
3 nos green chilies, slited lengthwise
¼ cup frozen peas
½ teaspoon freshly pounded coriander powder
Salt to taste

Tempering
2 teaspoon groundnut oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
Hing and turmeric, two pinches each
A sprig of curry leaf

Method

Dry roast the varagu arisi in a kadai/pan until they turn slightly brown. The grains will flower up and become bit crisp, this helps in getting a fluffy upma. Transfer the roasted grains in to a separate plate.

In the same pan, heat oil given under “tempering”. Splutter mustard seeds, add hing, turmeric and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.

Next add chopped onions and garlic. Saute until onions turn translucent. Add frozen peas and grated carrots to this and saute for 2 minutes.

Add 2.5 cups of water and salt. Let the water come to a rolling boil, add the roasted varagu arisi to this, mix well. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes in a medium flame or until the varagu arisi is completely cooked.