Poha (Atukula) Upma

Atukula Upma is one of the quick and easy breakfast/brunch/evening snack when running short of time and energy. I remember making it often while pursuing my master's after a hectic schedule at school. This is great when eaten hot and I enjoy it with curds. Few of them prefer tomato sauce. This is a dry item, so sometimes is preferred to be eaten with buttermilk.

Ingredients:

2 cups Poha (thick Atukulu)
1 small onion
2 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp cashews
1 green chilly
1 lime
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp oil
Salt

Seasoning:

1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Channa dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 red chilly
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Add oil to a pan, and add all the seasoning ingredients.

2. Add peanuts and cashews and fry it for some time.

3.In a bowl of water, soak the poha for about a minute and drain the water. meanwhile, fry the chopped onions and green chilly.

4. I don't prefer the poha to absorb much water, so I quickly drain the water, it depends on how you want the poha, if you want it to be soggy/soft you can soak them in water for more time. After the onions are fried, add the drained poha.

5.We don't use the chilly powder here and instead get the hot taste from the red and green chilles. The chilly powder doesn't get dissolved as there is no water. Add the turmeric, this gives a nice color to the poha.

6.Add some salt and saute everything and remove it from the flame.

7. Squeeze a lime at the end before serving.

+1 (IDEA)

Can grate carrots/beets in the end. I enjoy the raw vegetables, so this makes the poha nutritious. I also like it with yogurt/buttermilk since its a dry dish.