Aval (Poha) Upma

This is the first dish that i made when i first moved to secunderabad. I had never prepared any breakfast items till then. We were yet to shop, so i decided to make this Aval Upma. I opened up the boxes and took out my new kadhai and got started. The onions, chillies and the peanuts went in fine and were sort of ready. Then i remembered that i had to soak the aval (poha) for some time. So i put it to soak in a generous quantity of water. Waited for 10 minutes. I had seen the aval in my mother's upma as slightly puffed up. So i waited for some more time for it to near the consistency which i had observed. It did not happen so i tried to squeeze out the excess water. This process made the aval even more softer. What finally reached the kadhai was a aval paste. The final product could not be called as an upma, it could only be called as an aval paste. For many years to come i stopped making it. Even till this day my husband always has a dig at me whenever i try out any other complex dishes - "You could do this but what about the aval upma". Then a year back when i tried it out, i realized i had perfected the art. Check out the recipe for the most healthy and easy breakfast that one can get ready

Ingredients

Aval (Poha) - 1 cup

(wash and soak in water for a few minutes, once the water is absorbed and it enlarges strain out the excess water)

Onions - 1 medium size finely chopped

Oil - 2 tblspoon

Green chillies - 3 finely chopped

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves finely chopped - 2 tblspoons

Turmeric powder (Optional) - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil in the kadhai. When hot add the mustard seeds and wait for it to crackle. Then add the onions and green chillies. Wait for them to brown a little. Add the turmeric and salt. Mix well and then add the aval (poha). Mix well and keep on fire for a 4 - 5 minutes. Remove from fire garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Note: This tastes best when served with a coconut or a tomato chutney.