It's all about inspiration and upma with a twist!

One needs to be properly inspired and motivated to one's jobs and I am no exception to this rule. My biggest inspiration is my darling hubby, he is responsible for a large part of the cooking I have learnt in the previous years. Not that he taught me how to cook, but he always appreciated my cooking, even if something turns out to be not perfect, or I forget to add salt or sometimes added a bit too much. His ever so supportive and loving nature transformed this novice cook into a decent one.

I also get a lot of inspiration from the places I visit, the different varieties of delicious food that I try , by talking to people and listening to their stories. This upma's recipe's idea was born when I was talking to a friend, who once was invited by someone and had to suffer a really badly made badam halwa (sweet almond indian dish). She said, and I quote, "That halwa looked and tasted like a white chutney, without salt". Well, after the dose of our daily banter we both got back to our work but this statement stuck in my mind.

Both my hubby and I have a habit of talking about our day during dinner. So I narrated this story and also my friend's comment. Immediately he said, „Why not?“ and I asked him what he meant, and bang came the reply, „ It would taste good, this Almond Chutney“. This was enough and I was pondering through out dinner and finally I said, „Badam Upma“. He nodded and said, „Why don't you try it out, if it comes out well then you can put that on your blog“. That's the story behind this innovative and interesting and if I may add, delicious upma. I served the upma with an instant and easy to make chutney. 

Ingredients 


75 grams- almonds, soaked overnight and blanched
3 tbsp – sunflower oil
a generous pinch of cumin seeds a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing) 
1 – green chili, finely chopped
½ cup – low fat milk
½ tsp – peeled and grated ginger
1 tbsp – raw mango, peeled and grated
1 tbsp – dessicated coconut
a generous pinch of black pepper powder (optional) 
1 tbsp – coriander leaves, finely chopped 
1 tbsp – onions, peeled and finely chopped 


For the tempering
1 tbsp – sunflower oil
1/8 tsp – mustard seeds
a generous pinch of asafoetida
a pinch of cumin seeds
7-8 pieces of curry leaves 


For garnishing

lime wedges 

For the Instant Chutney
1/8 tsp – turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder (adjust according to your taste)
1/4 tsp – cumin powder
1/2 tsp – coriander powder
1/4 tsp – lemon juice (adjust according to your taste)
1 tsp – sunflower oil

Mix everything in a bowl and your chutney is ready.

Method

1. Coarsely ground the blanched almonds and keep aside. 
2. Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a pan on a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, finely chopped onions and chili and saute until the onions are soft. 
3. Add the almonds and saute for a minute, stirring continously. Add the ginger, raw mango, dessicated coconut, pepper powder and mix. Add the milk and cook, stirring continuosly until the milk is all absorbed. Add the coriander leaves and remove from the heat. 
4. Heat the oil for tempering, in a small pan, add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Switch off the heat as soon as the mustard seeds starts crackling. Keep aside 
5. Put the upma in a small bowl and invert it out on a serving dish, pour some of the tempering on the top and garnish with a lime wedge and serve with the chutney. 

Enjoy!