Avarekalu uppittu | Hyacinth Bean Upma | Akki tari uppittu

At my mom's place avrekalu upma is synonymous to akki tari upma (rice rawa upma). My mom never makes avrekalu upma with the normal rava/semolina. Although, rice rawa upma is not my types, I still eat it because I love avrekalu!

I have mentioned here the method of making rice rawa. Idli rawa & rice rawa are not always the same. Idli rawa is made with parboiled rice while rice rawa is with raw rice. The raw rice rawa is what is used for making this upma. I have occasionally found the raw rice rawa in the Indian Stores here.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Rice rawa: 1 cup
Avarekalu/Hyacinth Beans: 1 cup (I used the frozen ones!)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dal/ Black gram dal: 2 tsp
Cashew nuts: 1 tbsp, optional
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Red chilies: 3-4 nos, non spicy variety!
Water: About 2.5 cups
Salt: As needed

For the garnish:
Ghee: 1 tsp, optional
Grated coconut: 2-3 tbsp, fresh or frozen

Method:
Heat a broad pan. Add the rice rawa & saute till the rice rawa gets warm. Turn off the heat & let it cool.

Keep the water for boiling.
Thaw the hyacinth beans/avarekalu.
Heat oil in a saute pan. When oil is hot, throw in mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the urad dal & cashew nuts. Allow them to turn golden brown. 

Throw in the broken red chilies & curry leaves. Wait till the curry leaves become crisp.

Add the avarekalu & boiling water to the pan. Add the salt & let the water boil again. 

Add in the rice rawa (little at a time) to the boiling water & keep stirring. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Fold in the mixture & cover it with a lid. Let it cook on a low heat for 3-5 mins

Pour in the ghee, coconut & mix well.
Serve it hot with pickle or chutney powder.

Notes:

• Rice rawa need not be roasted like the Bombay/upma rawa. 
• If you use the idli rawa instead of the raw rice rawa, the upma becomes a little sticky. 
• Hyacinth beans could be replaced with frozen peas.
• If you are using fresh avarekalu, then pressure cook it with a pinch of salt for 2-3 whistles.