Simple Rice Semiya Upma

"May the festival of lights enlighten your home and heart with peace and serenity. Wishing you all loads of joy and happiness on Diwali." Hope you guys are having a blast with your family and friends this Diwali season. Wishing you all a Happy Diwali and a fabulous year ahead. Do hope you indulged in those special and traditional sweets and savories!

Our Diwali was safe and environmental friendly with no cracker burst. Of course the traditional affair of waking up early for the ritual oil bath, followed by drawing rangoli in front of our house, prayers, distributing sweets to family and friends, lighting of diyas in the evening, followed by puja and prayers made our day totally festive. Our lunch was heavy so were snacks and the dinner. After all that festivity, we had to settle for a simple breakfast the next day to escape from the heavy treats we enjoyed the previous day. This rice semiya upma is my perfect solution to an easy, simple breakfast. It's quick and requires bare minimum ingredients. Also being wholesome and healthy, yet it is completely satisfying. I make semiya upma often in different ways, but this method is easy and one of our favorites, especially with my DH.

Simple Rice Semiya Upma

INGREDIENTS

1 cup rice semiya
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp channa dal
Few curry leaves
1-2 green chillies, slit vertically
Few roasted peanuts
Salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Cook the rice semiya as per the instructions on the pack. I like to use Dragon Rice Semiya since it retains good texture even after steaming. Traditionally making rice vermicelli was a tedious task, which involved making it from scratch. The cooked dough would be run through the semiya press device and then strands of steamed rice semiya are tempered. Thankfully, life is now easy with ready to cook packets. Cook the semiya in water till just done. Drain the water completely and cover it so that it cooks further in its own steam.

Heat a tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal. Fry it on medium high till the dals turn golden brown. Next add in the curry leaves, the roasted peanuts and green chillies and stir fry. Add the cooked rice semiya and cook for another 5 minutes till all the spices are mixed well. Adjust the salt to taste. Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice in the end. Mix well and serve hot. Simple Rice Semiya Upma is ready to serve.

This dish is not just good for breakfast, but makes for an evening snack too. This upma is spiced with simple flavors. Lemon adds to the tanginess against the spice from green chillies.

Posting a sweet dish would have been apt for Diwali, but with most blogs hosting sweets and desserts for this season, I decided to post something different. Hop on to see and make terrific sweet preparations this festive season. You make like to try these Indian sweets to brighten up your Diwali. Hope you have a bright and prosperous Diwali.