IDLI UPMA

      Idli Upma is an ultimate quick fix with left-over idlis & simple seasonings.  And at times if your idlis turn out to be hard, then this recipe is sure to rescue you.  Why left-over idlis for this recipe?  The two factors I reason out are
     - Fresh- Hot idlis cannot be crumbled up without lumps.
     - They turn out to be sticky too.
       So, Cold ones serve the purpose neatly.
     

    When it comes to South Indian Cuisine the two dishes which comes to everyone's mind should be Idli & Dosa. The staple breakfast item of almost all South Indians households. Variety and Variations of the dishes are served all over the world. The above vegetarian oriented dishes are relatively easy to make, healthy and serve as a quick fix.  You have the batter then you can fix a breakfast or dinner within minutes.
     

    When it comes to Indian food abroad and if asked for one in any Indian restaurant, it would always end up with a variation of North Indian Cuisine.  But you do get South Indian food that would mostly be Idli(Sambar Idli), Dosa mostly Paper Roast/Masala Dosa, Uthappams, Appams, Uzhundhu Vadai/Medhu Vadais prepared mostly to suit the restaurant standards slicked and drenched with lots of oil. Nothing like a simple home-made South Indian Tiffin Items. Even South Indian foodies rarely bother to venture further and try other South Indian dishes.
    

     This humble 'Idli Upma' is one dish which has never been in the lime light and has never ever travelled out from the confined South Indian Kitchens. One dish which can never be seen in a restaurant.  So no wonder even South Indian foodies around the world would least have an idea of the dish. Mostly prepared to use up the leftover idlis, in a simple and easiest way.  All the more it serves well for a breakfast, evening teatime snack or for dinner.  Serve it along with Coconut Chutney & Sambar or any chutney of your choice for an extra note of flavour and taste.
     

    My husband loves this Idli Upma, and he always says if there are left-over idlis, make Idli Upma.  Whereas my kids would ask me to prepare Idli Fries out of it.  So, for the above reasons, I have got into a habit of preparing extra batches of idlis just for the purpose, keep them in the refrigerator and prepare Idli Upma or Idli fries.  Mind you, they are not left-overs or I make Idli Upma because Idlis turned out to be hard😜

    When I write about Idli Upma, I cannot stop writing about the nostalgic memory which always comes along with this Idli Upma and the Tamil Movie 'Suryavamsam', least to mention the background score of Music director S.A. Rajkumar. La... La... La... La... La... La...  Rosapoo chinna rosapoo...

Cuisine : South Indian
Course : Main Course
Difficulty : Easy
Serves : 3-4
Author : SM

Preparation Time : 15-20 Minutes
Cooking Time : 10 - 15 Minutes

For more recipe on Tiffin Items, Click here...

INGREDIENTS :

Idli - 8-10 Nos.
Onion -1 No.
Green Chillies -3 -4 Nos.
Ginger(1" Piece) - 1 No.
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tspn (Optional)
Coconut - 3 Tbspn (Optional)
Lime Juice - 2 Tspns
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - a Pinch

For Seasoning :

Oil/Ghee - 1 1/2 Tbsp
Mustard -1 Tsp
Bengal Gram Dhal - 1/2 Tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 Tsp
Dry Red Chillies -2 Nos.
Curry leaves -  a Sprig

Garnishing :

Coriander Leaves - Few

METHOD :

• Crumble the idlis coarsely with your fingers until they are evenly crumbled without any lumps and keep them aside.
• Heat Oil in a pan, splutter Mustard seeds.
• Add Bengal Gram Dhal & Urad Dhal along with Dry Red Chillies and Curry leaves.
• Fry the above on a medium flame until fragrant and the colour changes into slight golden brown.
• Add finely chopped Onions, Green Chillies and Ginger to the above seasonings and saute until Onions turns translucent.
• Sprinkle the Turmeric Powder and give a quick stir on a low flame.
• Add grated Coconut to the above and mix well, leave it on a low flame for 1-2 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add crumbled Idlis along with Salt and mix well until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Leave this on a low flame for few minutes.
• Pour in the Lime Juice along with a pinch of Sugar and mix well.
• Garnish the Idli Upma with finely chopped Coriander leaves.
• Serve Idli Upmas hot along with Sambar or Chutney.

• Prepare this Idli Upma with cold Idlis.  Can prepare Idlis in advance and store it up in the refrigerator.
• Fresh- Hot idlis cannot be crumbled up without lumps and they turn out to be sticky too.  
• For white Idli Upma, avoid adding Turmeric Powder.
• Can prepare the Idli Upmas without Coconut too.
• I usually add Lime Juice for an extra flavour and taste.
• Adding Sugar will balance the overall taste of the dish, but it is purely optional.