Vermicelli Upma

Vermicelli is a very versatile product. It becomes savory and sweet and tastes great as both. Vermicelli kheer or sevaiyya is a favorite of mine and this upma is another favored one. It usually gets upstaged by poha on weekends as my husband has it ready before I even wake up. So I made it today as an evening snack. Its filling and goes great with tea or coffee. I only added peppers but you can add peas and carrots too. 

Ingredients:

2 cups raw vermicelli

1 cup chopped mixed peppers (I used red, yellow and green)

1 onion (1/2 cup) chopped 

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 inch knob ginger, minced

2 green chilies halved

5-6 curry leaves

Pinch hing (asafoetida)

1/3 teaspoon raee (mustard seeds)

1/3 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

Salt

2 tablespoons coriander chopped

Heat a non stick deep pan and add the vermicelli to it. Roast it to light brown stirring constantly. Some strands will be darker than others, but that is fine. Keep aside. In the same pan, heat the oil. Add the hing, raee and jeera. When they splutter, add the onions, curry leaves, ginger and chilies. Saute till the onions are translucent about 2-3 minutes. Then add the peppers and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the roasted vermicelli and mix well. Add about a cup of water along with the salt and cover and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir and check if the vermicelli is cooked. Else add a little more water and cook more. When done, remove from heat, add the coriander and stir lightly. Serve hot!

PS: I am doing a guest post for Nithu @ http://www.nithubala.com/  The post will be out on Monday. Be sure to check it out!