Fried Upma with Ricotta

Upma is a delicious breakfast dish and snack from South India. Rava (also called Rawa, Sooji, Suji or Upma grain) is a semolina product that is cooked with spices and sometimes finely chopped vegetables for a stunningly delicious dish.

#Ottolenghi, in his book #PlentyMore takes his version of Upma and allows it to set before pan frying wedges. It is a delicious way to use Upma and a great use of left-overs. Rather than use his recipe, I cook Upma in a more traditional South Indian way, using his method to pan fry it, then serve it with either seasoned yoghurt or ricotta.

Rava, like semolina, is a granulated wheat flour that has a grainy texture to it. There are two types available, a fine-grained version and a coarser-grained one that is better for making Upma. In general, sooji will have a finer grain than rava.

I cook Upma until it is thick and holds shape. One variation has a looser consistency but if making the fried upma, it is best to cook it until quite thick.

As an aside and just for your information if you are interested: There are many different types of rava, perhaps thousands of regional variations. Some of the variations are because different wheats are used. Eg Bansi Rava, also known as samba wheat, is a very fine powdered flour unlike the more coarsely granulated Rava. It is made from a variety of wheat called samba godumai that has a long body and slightly sharp edges on both sides.

Another famous Rava is Bombay Rava which has a very coarse texture that is a little bigger than regular Rava. It is made from whole wheat grains of mottai godumai wheat.

There is another type, chamba rava, which is a by-product of wheat flour. Semolina, on the other hand, is always made from Duram wheat.

Matki and Gotu Kola Salad with Coconut

Gotu Kola aka Pennywort is a bit of a super food with amazing properties - also some side effects so do your research before using. Occasionally I can find bunches at the local Asia grocery – a joy because it is used across Sri Lanka and India. In Sri Lanka a sambal is made, but this dish is a step further, a salad with a base of Moth Beans (Matki).

It is very easy to make and matki takes under 30 mins to cook, so you can make the salad in the morning while you are pottering around getting ready for work, and then it is ready to have with dinner when you get home.

Recently I found a gotu kola plant and now have it growing at home - it does well in a dampish, partly shaded environment.

I have also made this dish with nasturtium leaves, parsley or coriander in place of the gotu kola. Other ingredients include onion, green chilli, lemon zest, grated coconut, and lime juice.

how to label #vegan cafés in #openstreetmap ?

if a café is 100% #vegan, should it still be labelled #vegetarian, like café kaf in this screenshot from #organicmaps ?

all the dishes and cakes at the café are accessible to vegetarians (because they are vegan), but there are no #nonvegan #vegetarian options, e.g. with cheese from breast milk from cow or goat or pig.

some vegans prefer fully vegan cafés, so should the #vegetarian label be removed here? (and for other similar places?)

Fusion Hand Pies: tangzhong chinese milk bread buns stuffed with a bean - salsa macha filling. Beans are an heirloom variety, Colorado River beans.

I'll eat anything, but I don't see the point of buying ground beef anymore now that the soy-based alternative is so good.

Hi! Is there anyone out there?
My short #introduction (A longer one is planned too ): 50+ yo #nonbinary / #agender (?);
#feminist, leftist, #vegetarian living in EU. Still figuring myself out and enjoying my newfound euphoria.

I love #cats good #techno music and androgynous/gender neutral fashion.

I am fairly new to fedi so forgive me if I do sth wrong! Help always appreciated

Here are some vitamins for your eyes - a blue bowl filled with fresh juicy oranges - handmade watercolor stilllife painting.

--> https://karen-kaspar.pixels.com/featured/blue-bowl-with-fresh-oranges-karen-kaspar.html

These shoes don't eat no meat #vegetarian

Cookbook browsing today.....

Heirloom Iyengar Recipes, by V. Vasumathi

I love cookbooks that focus on the culture of countries and regions. India is so vast in its different sub-cultures. Iyengar is like a culture within a culture within a culture within a culture.......

Although recipe types and names might be familiar, each subculture varies with ingredients, spices, rituals and methods.

Endlessly interesting.

Amaranth Leaves are the leaves of the varieties of edible amaranth plants. They are very easy to grow, and come up year after year, so keen gardeners are never without this vegetable in their gardens. The leaves can vary from green to red, and you will often see bunches in Asian green groceries.

The leaves and the grain are exceptionally high in protein as well as amino acids, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc - a vegetarian's dream plant.

I cook them in Indian dishes, as the leaves are quite common in India so there is a great variety of recipes. Amaranth varieties are used in Asian cooking too. Known as Chinese Sinach or Een choi, it is often sold as whole plants with roots.

I've decided to switch from veganism to vegetarianism, specifically lacto-vegetarianism. Veganism is too restrictive for my own health. Sure, you can "technically" aquire essential nutrients on a vegan diet, but it's easier said than done, and often requires you to spend more money (that I don't have) on vegan alternatives of foods that you could otherwise easily get from any store, and for what? To feel better (I don't)? To be healthier (I'm not)? #veganism #vegan #vegetarian #veganfood

Some call it weed, for me it is one of my favorite wildflowers in spring - dandelions. I love the bright yellow flowers and the leaves are a delicious and healthy salad.

Spring meadow with dandelions watercolor:
https://karen-kaspar.pixels.com/featured/spring-meadow-with-dandelions-karen-kaspar.html