Saturday 2 September 2017

SUJI UPMA




Isn't the festive fervour still going on among different communities world wide? I always doubt my observation power and fail to keep track of all of them, neither can any one of us satisfy all around at a time ..... at least I am not able to. I think there is a clearcut understanding among us... my co-workers who are working in coordination to cater to different kinds of demands, needs, emotions or sentiments of the readers. Even few months back I did not know that a food post can represent so many things and it is important to take care of that.... Oh God! Isn't that a torture on a free willed person like me? It is not that I have learnt every inch of the trade, my grey matter will not allow me to... but I think I have grown wise a bit. That is little better from my stupid brother who wants mutton, chicken, hilsa everyday from me.... I do love the Formula1 fan but cannot cater to his demands always. There will be some authentic Bengali fish, mutton, chicken prior to Durga Pooja.... I do not wish to start with them this early and smell stinkingly regional..... more because I have made friends worldwide beyond region, boundaries and whatever. 

My blog will remain essentially Indian .... I am already unhappy with the pictures of microwave yogurt-chocolate cups.... not with the taste though.... yet some of my ace photographer friends went and have shown some love to it... I have hope yeah... in this trade, hihi. Anyway, those who are trying to drag me into that cocooned shell that I had been in some ten years back.... I can arrange for you some sessions with my elder son who as a 10-12 year boy told why is it  difficult to accept aunty to have a vegetarian meal at community lunches just for four days, we can always have non vegetarian at home .... 

I feel  ashamed looking back at that me .... if we can fight among ourselves on such trivial issues, we have no right to blame others on the Gurkha Land issues... I remember we had a paper on Boro Land Movement during our masters course and how our professor beautifully taught us about it going beyond the text books.... I myself have heard from my own extended family how the innocent Boro clan were exploited... so much so that some from my family could employ them for an entire day working at a meagre amount of five rupees. 

However, I am not equipped with enough research and knowledge to say who is right or who is wrong. I wish to say for each separatist movement in the country, each one of us are to be blamed. Then there is our son at home... if I call him weird there is enough reason... I wonder if he has any interest in anything in the world except for his laptop and food, non vegetarian mainly. The two vegetarian items he loves equally as meat are paneer and aloo. Then there is a senior at home who told his son at a tender age of ten... you know son... fish and chicken steak is a cheat, have beef steak... the mother had shed silent tears then. This island is too expensive for us to stay after retirement neither we have applied for a permanent residency.... India may not allow us .... hahaha... shall we then live in a tent in a no-man's land?

I will go Indian today, a more or less healthy, simple breakfast fair with such ingredients that many enjoy in India... a big bowl of SUJI UPMA. Many years back it was confined to a particular part of India, then we all saw it's popularity at Bengali homes too, we actually got to make a drier version. At our home , the mother loved dosa, idly, upma and utthapam. She learnt doing upma and perhaps idly at times. Back then they were not  much of a favourite with me like chicken... mutton or fish kabiraji cutlet, but I had to go to the Madras Tiffin at Shyambazaar at least once in a month for the mother... a masala dosa as big as the width of my nose.... a nose that loved the smell of an egg- mutton roll just the opposite side of the road coming from the Malancha.... 

Then there is a thirty years gap between me and my son... who has his own, strong opinions and a father who told the son has to be considered a part of the decision making process and should not be made Mumma's play dough. I must say I love idly, upma and ragi puttu these days and is much excited to take our mani to the excellent joints for these items when she comes next.... I love the MTR chain. 

The husband loves upma which he had first after he joined the ship, the son will not touch... he would take bread with cheese slice and eggs on such days. This upma thing I love to have the homemade Bengali version ... a little drier version over the restaurant ones with  peanuts, cashew nuts and any available vegetables at home like carrots, cauliflower, green peas, potato.... I love to add a bit of ghee too in it.... I do not know how authentic my way is... my friends from particular regions can say.... but I am absolutely ok if my friends invite me over zucchini aloo posto.... just that there has to be a jirey bata diye patla macher jhol, peyaj diye mushurir dal, and a big bowl of salad or raita .... yes I love salads if they are modified as per my taste and raita  too ..... 

I have stopped getting oats for the time being! There are two reasons.... I will finally end up preparing ladoo with them with ghee and jaggery.... secondly, Indian bodies are best suited to Indian ingredients / food...... I may not have a fabulous body like Rujuta Diwekar but I have faith in what she preaches. I prepare upma with either semolina or broken wheat and a happy weekend is sharing my way of Suji / Semolina Upma  done with peanuts with Southern Indian style tempering.



INGREDIENTS :

Semolina : 1 medium tea cup
Raw Peanut with skin on : A fistful
Green Chilli :  1 tsp [chopped]
Dry Red Chilli : 2 [halved]
Mustard Seed : 1/2tsp
Skinless Split Black Gram Dal : 1/4tsp
Bengal Gram Dal : 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal : 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves : 8-10
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp [optional]
Ghee : 3tbsp+1tbsp

METHOD :

Heat 3tbsp ghee in a wok, fry the curry leaves & take out half of them. Temper with halved dry red chilli, urad dal, Bengal Gram Dal, mustard seeds, skin on peanuts. Give a stir and add the skin on peanuts. Stir for a minute.

Add all of the semolina and keep roasting until they turn light brown. Add some salt & roast for 3-4 minutes more!








Add a medium tea cup of water & fold in well! Thereafter add 1 coffee mug or a little more water & let cook at minimal heat!

                      
                      


Add the lemon juice & 1tbsp of ghee & it should be done! Suji Upma can be enjoyed with both the breakfast & afternoon tea / coffee!












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