Semia / Vermicelli Upma

I have been keeping the recipe typed and the pictures of this post drafted for the past 4 days ever since amma made, back home and I had been wondering what to type for the intro part! Oh yeah, most of the times my mind gets blocked when it comes to this and badly want to proceed to the recipe directly..

So, this what amma made for breakfast in a jiffy and I loved the preparation though not a fan of regular upmas or even semia upmas. I had wanted to post the step by step for this one but was away for the morning walk and by the time I came back amma had arranged the food in the glass bowl asking me to take the picture :)

And now for the recipe part she had gotten ready with:

Roasted vermicelli- 200 gms or 3 cups +/-
Water- 500 ml
Salt- as needed

To Season

Oil- 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Urad dal- 1/2 tsp
Ginger, minced finely- 1/2 tsp
Green chillies- 3, slit lengthwise
Curry leaves - a sprig
Chopped coriander - to garnish
Freshly grated coconut - 2 tbsps (optional; tis the Kerala way)

 Method:

Heat oil to season in a non stick kadai, splutter mustard seeds, brown the urad dal, followed by the minced ginger and the green chillies. Stir for a few seconds and throw in the curry leaves. Now pour the water. Bring it to boil, adding salt.Stir in the vermicelli  stirring to combine the whole ingredients taking care not to form any lumps and close the kadai with a lid. Reduce the flame and cook until done. The semia would have cooked soft absorbing the water and  see to it the strands aren't sticky and stay separate. Top the Upma with the freshly grated coconut ( which is purely optional), yes she used it, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with coconut chutney.