I recently joined the blogging marathon group run by Srivalli. I am very excited to be a part of the group in this silver jubilee. My theme for the next three days is kids’ delight –lunch box recipes. This is one of the challenges that every mother faces, what to pack for lunch. Even though we cook various recipes and different cuisines, with kids we are always on the lookout for various lunch ideas that are easy to cook in the morning hours and at the same time welcomed by the kids. This theme has proved very useful to me in the past because I can always browse through what other mom’s out there are cooking and share their ideas. Hopefully, my recipes would be helpful to a few others out there like me looking for new ideas to incorporate into the kid’s meal.
Why make this Semiya Upma
When I am packing lunch, there are a few things I like to keep in mind. The first one is the ease of eating. I have seen with my son that one pot meal works better. He likes to just pick up something and eat rather than having to dip in something and then eat. The next thing that I want is a balance in the ingredients. I try to include some kind of carbohydrate, vegetable, and protein in his meal. The other important thing is the ease for the mother to make it in the morning. When the house is in full chaos in the mornings, we need something that can be made quickly and I also like to keep some for me to eat as my breakfast or even lunch. So the first lunch box recipe from my side is the Vermicelli Upma. It is a very simple dish to make and I include a variety of vegetables to make it colorful. Kids like noodles, since it is a playful meal and this fulfills the criteria. I pack this with some flavored yogurt and fruit to make it a complete meal. I used a combination of frozen vegetables, but if you are using fresh ones, I would suggest that you cut them at night to make it easier in the morning.
Ingredients to make Semiya Upma
Semiya/vermicelli – 2 cups Water – 3 to 3 ½ cups Onion – 1 (chopped) Cut vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, corn) – 1 ½ cups Oil/ghee – 1 tablespoon plus 1tsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp Ullutham paruppu /urad dal – 1 tsp Cashew pieces – 2 tbsp Red chilies – 2 Asafetida – ¼ tsp Salt – to taste Curry leaves – a few (optional) Lime/lemon juice – from 1 lemon/lime
Procedure –
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and roast the vermicelli to a golden brown. Remove it to a bowl and keep it aside.
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil or ghee and add the seasonings (mustard seeds, urad dal, asafetida, cashew nuts, red chilies, and curry leaves). Let the mustard seeds sputter and the rest of the ingredients fry for a minute.
Now add the chopped onions and fry them until translucent (about 5 mins).
To this add the cut vegetables and sauté them until tender.
Now add about 3 cups of water. Also, add the required salt and let the water come to a boil. Check if the vegetables are cooked. Make sure that the vegetables still have a bite to them.
Now add the roasted semiya to the boiling water and let it cook. Once the semiya cooks, it would absorb all the water. If you feel that the vermicelli is not cooked, add some more water and cook it for a few more minutes.
Also cooking with the lid on helps to quicken the cooking process. Once the semiya has cooked and absorbed all the water, remove it from the flame and add the lime juice. Mix well and pack the semiya upma in lunch boxes.
My kids like the Vermicelli Upma with ketchup and some sugar on the side.
More Ideas For Lunch Box
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