Idli Podi Upma

What better way to use leftover idlis than making a classic, simple yet delicious upma with it. Almost everyone from Tamil Nadu would have tasted this upma atleast once. This used to be our evening snack during school days. The boring, white round idlis can take this magical transformation with a little seasoning.

I almost forgot the exixtence of such a simple dish until I saw this in the menu of an Indian Restaurant here. It said Madurai Special Idli Podi Upma and I ordered it thinking it is going to be something different than the regular idli upma. But it was just our same old idli upma with a hint of idli podi and a nice aroma of ghee. So I recreated it at home, and for sure it tasted better than the restaurant version.

Ingredients: Idli -6 to 8 Oil - 2 teaspoons Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon Urad dhal - 1/2 teaspoon Curry leaves - few Cilantro - 2 tablespoons (chopped finely) Onion - 1 sliced thin Idli Podi - 3 tablespoons(my idli podi is mild, so adjust the quantity accordingly) Ghee - 2 teaspoons. Method Crumble the idlis with clean hands and keep it aside. In a wide pan, add oil and when it gets hot add mustard seeds. After it splutters, add urad dhal and curry leaves. Saute till the urad dhal get a golden brown color. Now add onion and saute till it becomes translucent. Add the crumbled idlis along with idli podi. Give it a good stir so that the podi can combine with the crumbled idlis. Add chopped cilantro and ghee. Serve it hot with your favourite side dish.