Avarekai uppitu / Surti Papdi upma

Here you go ... simple and wholesome recipe of Avarekai Uppitu. What is Avarekai you ask. Avarekai (also called as Surti Papdi in hindi) is like a bean seed used in Indian cuisine. The harvest season of avarekai starts in November and last til February in India. Almost every kitchen in southern India either be cooking Avarekai uppitu or roti or curry or dosa. I won't be surprised if there are any dessert made out of this bean. Here in Texas, I have avarekai available 12 months in a year ... all frozen though (grin!). Anyway ... recipe below. How do you cook avarekai?

Ingredients:-

One cup Avakai
One cup sooji rava
Slit green chillies
few curry and corainder leaves
Gratted coconut - half cup
for seasoning - mustard seeds, Chhana dal, Urad dal.
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Method:- Pressure cook Avarekai for one whistle and let it cool down. In a big pan, add oil, mustard seeds, channa and urad dal. When dals turn golden add curry leaves and green chilles. Spin it and add sooji rava. Roast rava well till you smell nice aroma. Salt salt and cooked Avarekai (along with the water it was boiled in). Cover the pan and allow it to cook on a medium flame. Once cooked add gratted coconut, coriander leaves and lemon juice. Spin it well and serve hot.

Happy 10/10/10 all .....

Helpful hints:- If you want it tasty, then don't be stingy on oil my friends. When you roast the sooji rava make sure every bit of it is coated in oil. It usually takes 1:2 portion of Rava : water for boiling. I have seen foilks using pepper corn and it also taste good. Make this recipe spicy and sour by adding good number of chillies and lemon juice. You can still make it bland..... portion control is yours :) Of course you can add fried cashews if serving to guest.