Kothamalli ( Kothimbir ) Upma, Coriander Upma

          Upma is a very common breakfast or tiffin in many Indian households, a dish that is made in a jiffy, and in my house I make some upma ( using semolina, vermicelli or rice flakes ) at least once a week, when I run out of idli/ dosa batter. Sometimes, when I make it for dinner, I try to make it a little more interesting by adding some vegetables or masalas. For today's upma, I have added some ground and fresh coriander, and this gives the upma a nice flavor and taste, serve it along with some sambar and chutney for a delicious meal..

Need To Have

• Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji - 1 cup
• Onion - 2 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 cup
• Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Cashews - 5, broken into pieces
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Grated Coconut to garnish
• Salt to taste

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Chopped Ginger - 2 teaspoons

Method

           Grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '. Dry roast the semolina for 5 to 7 minutes, till you get the roasted flavor, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the cashews, chana dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering and the cashews turn golden, add the chopped onions, curry leaves and asafoetida and saute till the onions turn pink.

          Then add the tomatoes and the ground paste and saute for a minute. Add the 1 cup chopped coriander, mix, then add about 4 cups of water.

          Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, then add the roasted rava slowly, keep mixing all the time while adding the rava. Mix well, cover and cook on reduced heat till the semolina is cooked. Remove and serve, garnished with some chopped coriander and grated coconut.

Note
If it's difficult to add the semolina to boiling water, while stirring at the same time, add the rava first, mix it well with the coriander, add boiling water and stir well, so that there is no lumps.
Can also add peanuts along with cashews and chop the coriander leaves finely, can also add chopped veggies, like potatoes, carrots and green beans.
I used regular oil, adding coconut oil or ghee will give the dish a nice flavor.