Little Millet Upma

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Little millet upma is a quick, easy-to-make, healthy, and delicious recipe. This millet contains a lot of nutritional benefits and adds a healthy variant to everyday cuisine. Also known as Samai in Tamil, Little millet, is rich in fiber and contains many minerals. This millet upma can be made quickly for breakfast or dinner. An endless number of variations can be done by adding different colourful vegetables to this recipe and making it more nutritious.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup little millet (samai)
• 1 cup water
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup mixed veggies (French Beans, Carrot, Green Peas, Capsicum)
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
• salt to taste

To Temper

• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
• ½ teaspoon urad dal (white)
• a pinch hing (asafoetida)
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger grated
• few curry leaves
• 2 tablespoon cooking oil

Method:

Wash the Little millets well and soak them in water for 15 to 30 minutes. Keep this aside.

Add oil, mustard, cumin, and urad dal in a thick pan/kadhai. Let them splutter, and then add curry leaves and green chilies. Now add the grated ginger and finely chopped onions. Saute on a low flame for 1-2 minutes till the onion turns light brown.

Now add the asafetida and saute for 30 seconds. Next, add all the chopped vegetables and salt and stir for a couple of minutes. Mix well. Add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.

Drain the soaked Little Millet and add this to the pan. Cover a lid and cook on a low flame for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep checking to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.

Once cooked, turn off the gas and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Cooking tips:

Soak the millets for at least 30 minutes. Soaking reduces cooking time.

If there is not enough time to soak, add 1.5 cups of water while cooking for ½ cup of little millet, i.e., [3:1] ratio.

Replace little millets with any available variety of millets.

You can add any vegetables of your choice.

Increase or decrease spice according to your preference.

You can make upma without vegetables and onions too.