Vermicelli poha or semiyan upma is a great lunch-box addition in our house, and my son gobbles it down happily. It is very fast and easy to cook, so its win-win.
In my effort to spend the least amount of time in the kitchen, I make very quick meals. Over the years, I have taught myself various cooking tips, shortcuts and hacks, which don’t compromise on taste and nutrition, but make cooking dishes faster. You can view my other healthy, quick and yummy recipes and tips here.
This savoury dish is probably cooked in a different way in every Indian household. I just follow one rule (for all my recipes) of how I can cook it fast while still preserving the nutrition and taste.
You can add more veggies to this dish if you like to make it healthier.
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a dietician. I try to provide nutritious and yummy meals to my kids. Rest is all trial and error. 🙂
Prep time: 5-7 mins
Cook time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 cup roasted vermicelli / semiya
- water to cook
- 1 tsp mustard
- handful peanuts (optional; I don’t add peanuts if I am giving it for school lunch)
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 green chilli (slit) optional
- 1 onion
- 3-4 tbsp peas
- 1 tsp salt
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped; optional)
Instructions:
- In a chopper, add 1 onion, 1 inch ginger and 1 green chilli, and chop
- In a kadai, heat 2 tsp oil and splutter 1 tsp mustard
- If adding peanuts, add them now and roast till crunchy on low flame.
- Add onion mixture and frozen peas and saute together.
- Add 1 cup roasted semiya and mix gently. Add water to level with semiyan and cover.
- Let it cook on medium flame for about 7 mins. Check if it needs a bit more water and cook for another 1 minute or till semiyan are soft. Do not overcook as semiya will get mashed.
- Finally, add 2 tbsp coriander and ½ lemon. Mix well. All done! 🙂
You can put it in you kids lunch box as main meal or enjoy at home with your chai.
You can try my healthy, quick and child-tested delicious lunch box recipes here.