Thursday, October 11, 2012

Oats Upma - Lunch Box Idea

When it comes to cooking for breakfast or lunch I keep it simple.

With a job which involves a lot of travel across the country I have to treat myself to the food at various restaurants & snack bars & the same goes for my husband so, whenever in town I prefer to cook at home  for my husband & myself.

There is a cafeteria & quite a few eateries within my work campus however, I think no food can match a simple home cooked food. But WHAT!? isn't it?

I spend a lot of time thinking about the food I need to carry. Most times my breakfast as well as lunch are on-the-go. So, I cook easy & keep it easy to carry as well. 

My favorite breakfast items are -  Idlis, Rava Idlis, Vegetable Idlis, Poha, Oats rolls, Stuffed chilla rolls, Veggie stuffed parantha rolls, paneer wraps, Spring rolls etc to name a few.

I carry uncut fruits also as often as possible. Only the melons are cut & the pomegranate de-seeded. I always avoid storing cut Apples, Pears, Bananas, Kiwi fruits, Plum & Oranges. I like to eat them fresh.

Most times I repeat the breakfast item for my lunch as I do not really get much time to cook in the mornings.

So, let us see what I cooked today - OATS UPMA 
This is a great source of fibre & its called the Magic Breakfast in many countries. The wholesome goodness is just so perfect to keep you going through your busy day!




Get some:
  • Oats - I used 2 cups of Quaker Oats 
  • Onions - 2 medium & chopped
  • Tomatoes - 2 medium & chopped
  • Green peas - I used the frozen ones, about half a cup
  • Capsicum - 1 medium & chopped
  • Green Chilies - 3
  • Ginger - half inch, finely chopped 
  • Mustard seed - 1 tsp
  • Urad Dal/white lentils - 1tsp
  • Turmeric Powder - just as required
  • Garam Masala - if required
  • Salt -  as per taste
  • Red chili powder -  as per tolerance
  • Oil - as required

Method:

Take a pan & roast the oats for about 2 minutes on medium flame. Empty into a plate.
Use the same pan, add oil & when it heats up add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter & then put in the lentils. Saute & as soon as it gets golden brown add the onions, green chilies & ginger to this.
Just when the onions get translucent add the tomatoes, capsicum, green peas, turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder & some garam masala. Cover the pan with a lid. Toss when required & if the vegetables are cooked enough add 3 cups of water to boil. Covering with a lid will help the water boil quickly. When the water starts boiling add the oats to this & mix in well. Cover with a lid again for about a minute.
Serve hot!

Note:
  • You may add any vegetable you wish
  • Adding turmeric is also optional
  • You can squeeze in some lemon juice over this to enjoy tangy oats upma
  • I cooked it in Ghee instead of any oil as I used a non stick wok which does not require much grease for cooking

5 comments:

  1. Delicious,healthy and quick oats upma,loving it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting & healthy recipe!! I've never tried this before. Bookmarked :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. this looks awesome with healthy packed box...

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  4. very healthy upma..yummy!!
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