Cracked Pearl Millet Upma / Sajja Nooka Upma (Gluten - Free and Vegan Recipe)

The words 'easy' and 'quick' just pop into one's mind when talking about a upma preparation though it is not as simple as a toast or oats' preparation. However it is one of those when one is picking from a south Indian breakfast selection to cook from. A well made upma tastes pretty good too and so no surprise, it appears even on a south Indian wedding breakfast menu. Generally speaking, a traditional version upma is made from semolina most of the times. Followed by vermicelli / cracked wheat versions in popularity which are more healthier. People nowadays are getting more creative and proving that many grains can be used to prepare upma either in their broken / cracked forms or as whole. 

My mother makes an excellent upma and the taste remains the same each time she makes it. I therefore grew up enjoying upma and still to this day, love it irrespective of the form it is served in. I had recently brought a small bag of broken pearl millet / bajre ka daliya from India and obviously, upma was my first choice to experiment it with. Of course, replacing semolina with millet in the upma makes it more healthier, nutritious, and gluten free. A upma is a vegan friendly dish as it is if one is not tempted to drizzle some ghee over it. Mixed vegetables like chopped carrots, beans, potatoes and peas can go into the dish to make it more wholesome. We enjoyed it with roasted gram chutney.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. split roasted chickpeas / chana dal
1/2 tsp. split, skinned blackgram / urad dal
Few curry leaves
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 green chillies, stalks removed and sliced finely
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tomato, washed and diced
1 cup water
1/2 cup broken pearl millet
3/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
* Heat oil in a small pressure cooker directly, Add mustard, cumin, split roasted chcikpeas and blackgram. When the dals start to turn reddish and the mustard seeds start to pop, add curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for few seconds and add onion. Cook until it turns tanslucent and add toamto. Cook until it turns mushy and add water, turmeric, and salt. 
* Let the water come to a rolling boil and then lower the heat. Add broken pearl millet in a slow stream and stir gently to mix, avoiding any lumps forming. 
* Close the lid with the pressure valve on. Pressure cook for 2 or 3 whistles and turn off the stove.
* Remove the lid when the valve pressure is gone and mix well well with a serving spoon to break up any lumps formed. Serve hot with chutney / sambhar. 

Note:
1. If one doesn't prefer to cook the upma directly in a cooker, all the steps before the millet cooking can be done in a pan and transferred to a container that fits into a cooker and then can be pressure cooked that way.
2. If cooking in a pan on stove top, this upma requires more water than the quantity mentioned in the recipe. 
3. Don't serve upma without any accompaniments. It tastes well with either peanut / coconut / roasted gram chutney / a sambhar because of it's texture.

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