Vegetable Vermicelli Recipe

Vermicelli upma is a delicious, fibre-rich, Indian breakfast recipe made with wheat vermicelli, mixed vegetables, nuts & few spices. It is also known by other names like seviyan upma, namkeen javein or savory vermicelli and is so easy, quick to make.

This simple, comforting, one-pot vermicelli recipe is not only a great option for breakfast but also for kids tiffin or as a light meal when you are feeling under the weather. It requires few simple ingredients along with a bunch of veggies that are mostly available at our homes.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Vermicelli: The vermicelli we use for this traditional breakfast recipe is generally made of rava / suji (hard wheat semolina). It is also known by other names like seviyan, semiya, jave or javein. They can used in sweet-dishes like kheer (milk based pudding) or savory recipes like upma or rava idli.

At my home they are called ‘namkeen javein’ where namkeen means savory. Vermicelli is originally off-white in colour and need to be roasted before cooking as it helps in bringing out its flavour and retaining its structure while cooking. These days many brands have introduced roasted variant which saves both time & effort.

Vegetables: To convert vermicelli into a wholesome breakfast, I like to add lots of fresh vegetables to it that makes it more filling & fibre rich. Potatoes, onion, carrot, capsicum and peas are used here. Other veggies that can also be used- coloured bell peppers, sweet corn and french beans.

Feel free to use any veggies of choice or alter their quantities as per your preference. If you don’t have fresh veggies, you can even use a pack of frozen mixed vegetables.

The best part about this recipe is you don’t need to pre-boil the veggies or wait for them to soften up as they get cooked along with vermicelli in a single pot. For making jain-recipe, you can easily skip onions. For adding protein, add chopped sautéed paneer or tofu cubes.

Spices: This dish does not require too many spices & is lightly seasoned with salt, turmeric, mustard seeds and red chilli powder. Adding red chilli & green chilli is optional, skip it especially if you making it for kids.

Many people do not use turmeric because of which the dish turns out paler in colour. I personally like to add it as it gives a lovely yellow hue to the dish making it more appealing. Add it as per your wish depending on how you want the final dish to look like.

Oil: You can use ghee or any cooking oil like peanut oil, sunflower oil or olive oil while making this recipe. Ghee adds richness and aroma to the dish but if you would like to keep it lighter use any oil of your choice.

Nuts: Nuts add crunchy texture that compliments the softeness of vermicelli and tender vegetables. I have added peanuts here but cashews can also be used (or use both). However, if you want to make it nut-free, skip adding any nuts.

Herbs & Lemon Juice: Herbs like curry leaves, cilantro and a generous squeeze of lemon juice, together add so much aroma and brightness to the dish. If you don’t have fresh curry leaves, use dried curry leaves.

To make perfect non-sticky, separated vermicelli strands it is important to not add to much of water while cooking them. As per my experience the 1:1.5 ratio i.e. for 1 cup vermicelli 1.5 cups water, gives a perfect texture each time.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

• Vermicelli – 1 cup
• Water – (1+1/2) cups
• Oil / Ghee – 2 tsp
• Raw Peanuts – 2 to 3 tbsp
• Mustard seeds (Rai) – 1 tsp
• Onion (finely chopped) –  1 medium
• Curry Leaves – 6 to 8
• Green Chilli (finely chopped) – 1 (optional)
• Potato (diced) – 1 small
• Carrots (diced) – 1/4 cup
• Capsicum (diced) – 1/4 cup
• Peas – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 3/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Lemon juice – 2 to 3 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
• Coriander / Cilantro (chopped)- 2 tbsp (for garnishing)

Directions:

Step 1:
Transfer 1 cup vermicelli to a flat pan and dry roast on medium-low flame while tossing in between till they turn golden brown in colour. If you are using pre-roasted vermicelli, skip this step.

Step 2:
Heat 2 tsp oil to the same pan. Add peanuts to it and roast on medium-low flame till their skin starts to crackle and become slightly darker in colour. Remove these from the pan & keep aside.

Step 3:
To the same pan, add mustard seeds (rai) and saute till the seeds start to splutter (add more oil if required). Add green chillies, curry leaves and onion. Saute for 1-2 minutes more till onions soften up & become slightly translucent.

Step 4:
Add potatoes, carrot, capsicum, peas and turmeric powder. Mix well while cooking for a minute more.

Step 5:
Add (1+1/2) cups water to the veggies along with salt & red chilli powder (if adding). Lightly stir & bring it to boil.

Step 6:
Turn the flame to low. Add roasted vermicelli and mix gently. Cover and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Step 7:
Open the lid and check as there should be no water left. Leave for 1-2 minutes to let the steam escape and then gently fluff up the vermicelli with a fork to separate the strands. Sprinkle lemon juice over them and top up with roasted peanuts and fresh coriander. Serve it hot.

(Tip: If making it in summers, then you can even garnish it with diced cucumber or tomatoes to add refreshing taste and texture)

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(P.S: The recipe was originally published on 29th May’2016 & has been updated with better recipe and images.)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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