Vegetable upma

You'll need

• 1 cup coarse semolina (rava)
• 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 onion, 1 carrot, a handful of peas
• 1 green chilli and a few curry leaves
• 2½ cups hot water, salt to taste
• Lemon juice to finish

Method

1. Dry-roast the rava in the pan until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker. Tip it out and set it aside.
2. Heat the oil, pop the mustard seeds, add the urad dal, curry leaves and chilli.
3. Add the onion and cook until translucent, then the carrot and peas with a splash of water.
4. Pour in the hot water and salt, bring to a boil.
5. Rain the rava in with one hand while stirring with the other — this is the step that prevents lumps.
6. Cover and cook two minutes on the lowest heat. Finish with lemon.

Why this dish

Roasting the rava is what makes upma light instead of pasty, and light is what a morning meal should be. The vegetables and the tempering give it enough interest to be eaten without a side.

Often chosen by people managing

A usual weekday breakfast where something lighter than a fried one is wanted.

These are tags to help you find dishes that fit how you eat. They aren't a recommendation for your condition — that conversation belongs with your doctor.