Flipping through Madhur Jaffrey’s “World Vegetarian” cookbook, I stumbled upon this South Indian recipe for uppama, a grain dish that’s prepared somewhat like risotto—with constant stirring and the gradual adding of cooking liquid—but relies on semolina (known as sooji) or even Cream of Wheat for its main grain. The final product resembles a rice pilaf or veggie-packed couscous.
I modified the heat quotient of Jaffrey’s original recipe and increased the ratio of vegetables to grains. I served this as a main dish along with cilantro raita, chutneys and naan. And while the uppama was filling, we also would have enjoyed an Indian vegetable dish to accompany it. It would make a tasty stuffing for ripe tomatoes or roasted peppers, as well.
As long as you have a good Asian/Indian grocery around, the ingredients are accessible and quite inexpensive. And I’ll definitely make it again, sticking with the recipe’s spices but playing with a seasonal mix of vegetables.
Uppama with Cabbage and Peas
1/4 cup canola oil
Generous pinch ground asafedtida
1 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
2 teaspoons yellow split peas or brown lentils
15 fresh curry leaves
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 teaspoon peeled, grated ginger
1 hot red chile pepper, finely diced
1 1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1/4 cup green peas
1 cup semolina (known as sooji) or Cream of Wheat
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
In a small pot, bring 2 cups water to a simmer.
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add asafetida to the hot pan and, almost immediately, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to pop, stir in the split peas or lentils. After split peas turn a reddish golden color, add the curry leaves. After 10 or so seconds, add onion and cook until light golden. Stir in ginger and chile pepper. After a few seconds, add cabbage and peas. Toss with other ingredients, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in 3 tablespoons of the simmering water, cover the pan, turn heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes.
Uncover pan, and turn heat back to medium. Pour in semolina and cook until light golden—4 to 5 minutes—stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low, and stir salt into the semolina-vegetable mixture. Gradually add boiling water, a few tablespoons at a time. As you would prepare risotto, stir constantly and wait to add more water until all of it has been absorbed. This process should take about 5 minutes.
After all the water has been added, continue cooking for 10 minutes, breaking up any lumps with your spoon. Grains should be “light and fluffy,” according to Jaffrey. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Serves 3, 1-cup portions