Vegetable Aval (Poha) Upma

Aval is also known as flattened rice. Do you know how is it prepared ? Rice is first parboiled, rolled, flattened and dried. When it is added with any liquid, it absorbs and swells. It is easy to digest and variety of dishes can be made with it in less time. All over India, this is used to prepare light snacks and taken during fasting. This can be also be mixed with milk or curd and can be eaten as such. In north India it is called as ‘Poha’. Different varieties of Aval are also available such as thick, thin and white and brown.

Here I have prepared a healthy dish using vegetables.

Serves: 4

Time:

• Aval soaking time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• Thick variety Aval – 1 cup
• Green peas – ½ cup
• American sweet corn – ½ cup
• Beans chopped – ½ cup
• Carrot chopped – ½ cup
• Coconut grated – 1 table spoon (optional)
• Sprouted green gram – ½ cup
• Salt – as per taste
• For seasoning
  • Onion chopped – one
  • Green chilli silted – 2 no
  • Ginger – small piece chopped
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Mustard – ½ tea spoon
  • Split black gram (Urad dal) – ½ tea spoon
  • Bengal gram – ½ tea spoon
  • Pea nut (ground nut) – 1½ table spoon
  • Red chilli – 2 no
  • Asafetida – pinch
  • Cooking oil – 2 tea spoon

Method

Step 1

• Wash Aval and soak it with ½ cm water above Aval for 30 minutes. As Aval used is thick variety, soaking will make it soft.
• Wash and put vegetables in a pressure cooker with pinch of salt and cook for one whistle.

Step 2

• Heat a pan, add seasonings one by one, till all are fried; do this in low flame.
• Add onion, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and salt; fry until onions are transparent.
• Now add boiled vegetables and soaked aval; mix well then add coconut; keep for few seconds and remove.

• Serve with any chutney.

Tips:

• You can cook vegetables with seasoning also.
• If excess water is used for soaking Aval, it will be sticky.

This post is part of WYF:Breakfast Event organized by Simple Indian Food Blog.