I
can honestly say that I have never once had Cream of Wheat as indicated on the
box. There was never a need and besides it just doesn't sound very
appetizing - no flavor unless you count sugar. I grew up eating
cream of wheat in two, very different, and delicious ways – one savory, the
other sweet. Both of these dishes are quick to make and are generally
served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or afternoon tea. Indians usually don’t eat an early breakfast,
opting instead for tea biscuits with their tea, and so both of these recipes
are generally eaten for brunch or lunch.
There
are probably many variations to the recipes below based on preferences. I have developed mine over the years based on
my mother’s original recipe which has been modified quite a bit for my own
taste.
The
sweet version of Cream of Wheat is called Sheera. It is often served at special occasions and
also made as an offering to gods during a pooja (prayer). I always have a
container full in my fridge because my son will eat it at any time of the day. He likes to heat it up a bit and add milk
before he downs a bowlful. Many will add
chopped bananas or slivered almonds to this recipe but I choose to leave them
out (child’s preference). Interestingly
sheera is often served with something savory like batata wadas (fried spicy
potato balls) or pakoras (vegetable fritters).
The
savory version can be kicked up with as much heat as you desire and is called
Upma (pronounced Oopmaa). It is very
popular in the South of India and can be varied in many ways by adding nuts or
urid dal (split black lentils). My
version is fairly simple, with few ingredients and yet the end result is
extremely tasty. It is something I crave
on weekends and will often make more than I need so I can enjoy it for lunch
during the week.
Sheera Recipe
1 Cup Cream of Wheat (not
the instant kind)
2 Cups whole milk (lowfat or fat free is
fine too)
8-10 threads saffron (optional)
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp salt
1 ¼ Cup sugar
½ Cup golden raisins
½ tsp cardamom powder
Place the milk in a small saucepan and
heat on low flame. Meanwhile in a heavy
bottom pot on medium heat, toast the
cream of wheat until it just starts to turn golden brown stirring constantly to
ensure it doesn’t burn. Once the cream
of wheat is toasted, add the butter and salt and stir to combine until butter is
completely melted. By now the milk
should be heated to just under boiling. Turn
off heat and add the saffron to the milk at this point and stir well. Reduce the heat on the cream of wheat pot and
add the hot milk whisking as you add. Cover
and simmer for 1 minute to steam. Remove
cover and add the sugar and cardamom and stir until glossy and the sugar has
melted. Add raisins, stir and remove
from heat. Serve warm with or without
milk.
 |
| Hot milk with saffron |
____________________________________________________________
Upma Recipe
1 Cup Cream of Wheat (not the instant
kind)
2 ¼ Cups of water
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsps black mustard seeds
2 – 3 Thai bird chilies (adjust to
taste) cut in half – I don’t remove seeds or veins
10 fresh kefir lime leaves – I chiffonade
mine but they can be left whole
½ medium onion chopped finely
1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp salt
½ cup frozen peas
Limes and fresh cilantro for garnish
In a heavy bottom stock pot on medium
heat, toast the cream of wheat until it starts to turn golden stirring
constantly. Once toasted, remove from
the pot
into a bowl and set aside. Place
stock pot back on stove on medium high heat.
Add the oil and mustard seeds.
When mustard seeds begin to pop, add the chilies and kefir lime
leaves. Be careful as they too will pop
vehemently when they hit the hot oil.
Once the popping stops, add the onions and ginger and reduce heat to
medium. Do not let the onion brown by
stirring for about a minute until it has softened. Add the water and salt and bring to a
boil. Add peas and bring back to a
boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add the
toasted cream of wheat in a steady stream to the pot stirring constantly to
avoid clumps. Cover and allow to steam for
about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let
stand covered for another 5 minutes.
Serve with a wedge of lime and chopped cilantro.
 |
| Toasting the Cream of Wheat |
The savory version is often eaten with plain
yogurt on the side, particularly if the heat level is cranked up with more
chilies or added cayenne. Some add heat by eating it with Indian pickles.
Note: Kefir lime leaves and Thai green chilies
can be found in most Indian markets and often at Asian markets.
So whether you are sweet or savory or
both, I hope I have provided some of you a whole new look at that box of Cream
of Wheat in the cereal aisle. If you try
either recipe, do let me know what you think.
And remember you can increase/decrease the amount of liquid added to get
a whole different texture to the end result.
Adjust it for your own preference.
