Quinoa Upma

Upma – A savior for those women who have no idea what to cook for dinner. Sometimes with onion and veges, while sometimes with just some seasonings, upma can pretty much be prepared with what we have in our pantry. But one thing that stops me from having upma as often as I would like are the carbs . Rice, vermicelli, beaten rice, tapioca – lots of carbs, but lots of taste.

Quinoa, generally, considered to be a grain is actually the seed of a plant. They are an excellent source of complete protein – all 8 amino acids, which is essential for a vegetarian diet. Though it has received its long-deserved attention only recently , they can be substituted for almost any other grains in modern recipes. When cooked, they form a tail (which is the external germ of the seed), giving it an interesting look. More about quinoa – here.

When I first came across quinoa, I used them in tabbouleh, salads, etc, as mentioned in the box. Noticing its firmer texture, I took a chance and made upma. I also tried cooking it in a pressure cooker than on stove-top. Not only was it protein-rich, it was fan-tas-tic. Its light, delicate taste was just enough to make it at least once a week. This upma rocks, you can have it any day.

IMG0234

Ingredients

Quinoa – 1 cup
Onion – 1
Carrot – 2, shredded
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Chana dal – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – few
Red or Green chillies – 4
Salt

Method

Pressure cook quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water for 2 whistles. After the pressure in the cooker has subsided, fluff the quinoa with a fork. Now, that’s optional if you are in a hurry.

In a kadai or skillet, take a tsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves, chillies and sauté till dal turns golden brown. Add onion, carrot and salt and cook the vegetables for 3 minutes. Onions should still retain their crunch. Add quinoa, mix and adjust the seasoning. Serve with a pickle.

This my Q entry for Nupur’s A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

17 comments:

Viji said...

Unique, Suganya, Upma is always handy for us. Lovely recipe. Viji

TheCooker said...

Fantastic! I, too, wondered how quinoa-upma would taste.
Thanks for sharing.

Nabeela said...

that does look good and fluffy...and I LOVE that picture of plantain chips...maybe you wanna enter it into DMBLGiT?

Nupur said...

I loved reading all about your experiments with quinoa and your attempts to make the ever-popular upma more nutritious! Fantastic entry, Suganya!

Bong Mom said...

Seeing a lot of Quinoa recently. Is it by any chance like Wheat Dlaia...the Upma looks like the Dalia Upma

Suganya said...

Thanks Viji and Cooker!

Nabeela, Thats a really nice suggestion I din't think of this earlier. Thank you so much for the suggestion :-) .. But am not so sure about the rules and the host for June '07 (I understand that May's photo should be entered during June, Correct me if I am wrong).

Thank Nupur for accepting my entry even though Quinoa is not totally Indian.

This is not Dalia upma, Sandeepa. Quinoa is a grain by itself. Refer Wiki for pictures. But it is comparable to wheat dalia.

Suganya said...

Quinoa sound different to me.... Lovely recipe. I really want to give it a try...

Anonymous said...

You have amazing pics Suganya. Donno how you manage to click pictures so well. This upma is unique. Never heard of it.

Anonymous said...

Hey suganya..you have a lovely blog and i have to compliment you on your photos.excellent.

Menu Today said...

Hi Suganya,
This dish is new to me. Very creative. Thanks for sharing

Cynthia said...

Suganya - thank you very much for stopping by my blog. I'm glad you did because it's helped me to discover yours which is absolutely beautiful. Less is more. I love your colour scheme, the layout and the pics are crisp and clear. Your writing, friendly. Congratulations. I am adding you to my feeds so that I never miss another post of yours :)

I am not sure if the breadfruit tastes like jackfruit. I'll ask Bee, Asha or Sig and let you know.

Prema Sundar said...

Quinoa.. new to me.. but just yesterday read abt it in shaheen's blog if Iam not mistaken. A simple and a neat recipe which looks good.thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I have made the upma also with quinoa - it totally delicious - has a unique taste unlike the rava. Nice one suganya.

Archy said...

wow..one more dish for my ekadashi.. thank you suganya for ur Recipe and letting me know :) !!

PaakaPriya said...

I had some quinoa at home (had tried Quinoa Rice and did not like the taste) and did not know what to do with it. Your recipe was perfect. Thanks!

30 days ago said...

Hi Suganya,
I just made this to go with the roasted vegetables with garlic and it turned out great! Its the first time I've cooked with Quinoa and the pressure cooking instructions were accurate. Please keep blogging!
Aruna

GKB said...

Hi
This is an awesome recipe.I made it in a jiffy in the morning before I left for work.It made a great lunch box item..very filling.This is going to be a regular in my house.Thanks so much for the accurate measurements and description.
Geetha

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