Aval (Poha) Upma

Preparing dinner after a day out is not an easy thing. Especially when you have friends. Sometime I feel I have run out of options. The only dish that we can make for four plus people is upma. I always have aval in my pantry. Aval upma can be made easily in no time. It can be made with simple ingredients. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 Cups of thick poha (aval)
• 1 Large onion, finely chopped
• 5-6 Green Chillies, halved
• 1 Inch of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon of mustard seeds
• 1 Teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 Teaspoon asafetida 
• 1 Tablespoon of channa dhal
• 3 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I use sesame oil to make upmas)
• 1/2 Cup of raw peanuts (optional)
• 1 Sprig curry leaves
• Handful of finely chopped cilantro (corriander leaves)
• Salt to taste
• Juice of a lemon

Directions

Soak the poha in warm water. Drain the water and keep the poha aside. There is a certain variety of poha that soaks right away. So you need to be careful otherwise you would end up making poha halwa. Heat the oil in a big skillet. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add channa dhal, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger, chopped cilantro, turmeric powder and asafetida. Now add the raw peanuts and saute for few minutes. Add the chopped onions and saute until the onions are tender. Finally add the soaked poha and stir until everything mixes well. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Serve hot with any chutney or yogurt.

There are few optional ingredients you can add to this upma. I add potato to poha upma. Have fun cooking!