Aval Upma
Aval upma, a nourishing and easy south Indian breakfast, is made by cooking rice flakes with peanuts, lentils, curry leaves and mustard seeds. It's a simple, beginner-friendly recipe that's ready in minutes.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 240kcal
Equipment
- Strainer
- Wok or large skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups poha (aval or flattened rice flakes. Use thick poha for this recipe)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, for garnish)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 1 tablespoon chana dal *(optional)
- 1 jalapeno (or any green chili pepper, cut into thin strips)
- 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
- ¼ cup raw peanuts
- 2 tablespoons raw cashews *
- ½ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen. If using frozen thaw before using)
- 1 cup frozen green peas
Instructions
- Place the rice flakes in a large strainer or colander and rinse thoroughly under running water for a minute. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Make the tempering
- Heat coconut oil in wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard sputters, add the urad dal and chana dal. Roast the lentils until they turn light gold. Add the peanuts, cashews, ginger, curry leaves and green chili pepper to the wok. Continue sauteing until the nuts are lightly browned.
- Add the coconut, sauté for a minute, then add the green peas. Mix and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add salt to taste.
Assemble the aval upma
- Add the rinsed rice flakes to the wok and mix it all together. Continue sauteing the aval upma for a couple of minutes until the poha has warmed through and is soft. If you feel the poha is a bit tougher than you'd like it to be, sprinkle a little water, but not too much, and sauté for a little longer.
- Check salt and add more if needed. Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Chana dal is bigger and tougher in texture than urad dal so either make sure you fry it thoroughly so it's crunchy or just skip it if you're not familiar with using it.
- Cashews are optional and you can skip them or use more peanuts. If nut-free, skip the cashews and peanuts and use a little more urad dal and chana dal instead for crunch.
- Some recipes ask you to soak the rice flakes for a few minutes, but please don't. They will become too soft and waterlogged after soaking even for a short time and the aval upma will clump together after cooking, which is both not great to look at or to eat. Just a simple and thorough rinse will ensure the rice flakes soften to the perfect texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg