Vegetable Sevai/Vegetable Rice Vermicilli

I would say readymade sevai(rice vermicilli) is a must have in a pantry. When I run out of options for night dinner I end up making sevai. I usually make lemon sevai and sweet coconut sevai. But for a change I decided to make vegetable sevai since I had to finish off frozen mixed vegetables I had in my freezer. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

• 1 Packet of readymade rice sevai
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 and 1/2 cups of mixed vegetables
• 1/2 Tablespoon of urad dhal
• 1/2 Tablespoon of channa dhal
• 1 Sprig of curry leaves
• 1 Tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
• 2-3 Green chillies halved
• 1 Tablespoon of cashewnuts
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Fennel seeds
• 2 Dried bay leaves
• 1 Teaspoon of garam masala
• 1 Teaspoon of corriander powder
• 1 Tablespoon of mustard seeds
• 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil (My personal favorite is sesame oil/gingely oil)
• Salt as per taste

To grind

• 1/4 Cinnamon stick
• 2 Cloves
• 3 Cloves of garlic
• 1 Inch of ginger
• 4-5 Green chillies
• 1/2 Cup of Cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Fennel seeds
• 2 Sprigs of mint leaves

Directions

Cook the sevai as per the instructions and drain it in a colander. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Now add the fennel seeds, bay leaves, urad dhal, channa dhal, cashews, cilantro, curry leaves, green chillies in the same order. Add turmeric powder and the onions and saute until the onions soften. Add the veggies to the skillet and mix the onions and veggies . Cover the skillet and let the veggies cook. Now add the ground masala and salt to the skillet and saute until the raw smell wears off. If its too dry add a splash of water. Add the garam masala and the cooked sevai. Mix them well . Garnish it with some cilantro. Serve when its hot. 

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!

Its very difficult to be a regular blogger when you have a toddler at home. When I sit with a computer my daughter sits on my lap and doesn't let me do anything. Its been almost a year since my last post. One thing I have learned in the past few months in Canada is you can cook a wonderful meal with minimum dishes and no appliances. I have been travelling a lot last year and I felt I could give a few tips to people that love to travel, especially with a kid. You would definitely need to take dishwash liquid and scrubber. In addition it would be very handy to have a coffee mug and a soup bowl just incase if you are caught up in your room when there is heavy downpour outside. There are lots of canned soup varieties available in the grocery stores.

I hope I can be regular from now on. See you soon!