Karnataka style Avarekai Upma with Cream of Buckwheat

 (From Banu's Cookbook)

This recipe is an adaptation of the original recipe from Svelte Zone. 

Avarekai (aka Surati Papdi Lilva) Uppitu (aka Upma) is a popular breakfast dish in Karnataka, especially in Winter as these beans are more widely available then. This particular upma is made with Rice Rava or Cream of Rice rather than Sooji or Semolina. Instead of Cream of Rice - I have used Cream of Buckwheat to add that extra oomph. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of cream of buckwheat

1 - 1 1/4 cup of Cooked Surati Papdi Lilva or Avarekai Beans

1 medium sized onion chopped finely

3-4 green chillies or per your taste

A few curry leaves

1/2 inch of ginger grated

1 tsp of lemon juice

2-3 tbsp. of shredded coconut for garnishing

1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro for garnishing

Oil for cooking (I used coconut oil)

For Seasoning:

1 tsp of Mustard Seeds

1 tbsp of Urad Daal

1 tbsp of Channa Daal

Method:

1. Dry roast the Cream of Buckwheat for a few minutes (maybe 7-8) minutes on medium heat until you see it change color ever so lightly and you can smell the fragrance of the buckwheat. Set it aside.

2. I use frozen Surati Papdi Lilva and pressure cook it with a bit of salt until it is firm but yet soft and cooked. (About 3 whistles and release pressure naturally).

3. Heat a pan, add coconut oil and add all the seasoning ingredients. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the ginger, green chilles, curry leaves and sauté for a few mins. Add the chopped onion and cook on medium low heat until onions get pink and transparent (about 5-6 mins). 

4. Now add the cooked Avarekai, some salt and mix well and sauté for a few more minutes.

5. Keep 2 cups of water to boil or as I do - use a kettle to boil some water.

6. Now add the cream of buckwheat to the onion and beans mixture, add some more salt and mix well.

7. Reduce the flame to low and add boiling water to this mixture. Be careful when adding water as it can splatter. I used 1:2 ratio. For 1 cup of buckwheat flour, I added 2 cups of water or slightly less based on what kind of water logged veggies you have in the mixture. Since Avarekai will not let out a lot of water, I added 2 cups of water. Mix it all well and let it cook on Medium heat for a few minutes until the water is absorbed.

8. Once the water is absorbed, reduce the flame to low again and cook with a lid one for 5 mins or so. This process creates a steam and cooks the buckwheat very nicely.

9. Once the buckwheat is fully cooked, add lemon juice and cilantro.

10. Switch off the flame and garnish with grated coconut (you do not want to add the fresh coconut when the upma is super hot because it will cook the coconut and make it lose the taste).

Notes:

1. You can use other veggies like carrots, peas etc to make the upma instead of Surati Papdi Lilva

2. You can also add slivered almonds or cashew nuts to give it a bit more punch. But since I like avarekai a lot, I did not add anything else to take it away from the avarekai flavor.