Ragi (finger millet) upma

You will need (for one portion):

• 2 tbsp about 30 g ragi flour
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup green beans, carrot and peas, chopped very finely
• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves (Kadi patta) 1 twig, finely chopped
• Freshly roasted cashews
• Fresh or dry coconut, thinly sliced, optional
• About 1/2 cup water
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 small chilli (optional)

Steps

1. Warm 1 tbsp ghee on low heat and roast the cashew. Keep aside.
2. Increase the heat to medium. Put in the mustard seeds. Close the lid as they start spluttering and switch the heat off.
3. Switch the heat on again once the mustard seeds stop spluttering and put in the ragi flour and roast gently for 2-3 minutes.
4. Put in the vegetables, salt and lots of black pepper and mix well. Cover and let them cook for about 4-5 minutes on very low heat, so that they cook in their own juices.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil.
6. Put in another tbsp ghee, switch the heat off and cover. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
7. Top with cashew, coconut flakes, finely chopped curry leaves and chilli (if using) and mix in just before serving.

Notes

• Finely chopped vegetables cook very quickly! Don’t let them cook more than 4-5 minutes, otherwise they will lose their crunch and also their nutrients. Having crunchy vegetables will also force you to spend some time chewing the food, rather than gulping it down.
• If you want to take your health journey another notch, buy a mill and always use freshly ground flour. You will have much more control over the quality of the raw materials that go into your meals (Link: ).
• Always use freshly ground pepper! Buy a small mechanical pepper mill. No need to buy the battery operated ones.
• This recipe can be adopted for any other millet (Link: ). It’s a much better than the traditional upma recipe using semolina, which is wheat.
• You will notice that the ratio of the vegetables to flour is quite high. This adds more nutritive punch.
• Curry leaves are fried in hot oil in the original recipe. Here, I have just sprinkled them on top after the upma has finished cooking and cooled down a bit. This enables you to get their full nutritional benefit.