Lemon Shavige Bhath / Uppittu

Shavige Uppittu is one of my favourite items for breakfast! It is a very popular dish in Bangalore and many parts of Karnataka.  It is prepared with freshly made rice noodles but it is a long process and requires a lot of time and preparation. I have used the readymade rice noodles available locally. The last time I had used MTR but I wanted something more lighter this time.  This can be prepared in a variety of ways and I have tried the Tomato based shavige bath before. (For recipe click here)  I tried making the lemon flavoured Shavige this time and it has become a family favourite. You will find us gorging on this delicate dish mostly over the weekends. J 

I have been trying out my hands at photography and love the close up shots of the food. But still I struggle with lighting and shadow adjustments.  Whatever I have been taking is all on easy mode and should work on using the manual mode soon. The pictures came out well this time and this dish looks so good in them! Don’t you think so?  J (excuse me for beating my own drum :P)

Ingredients:

·        Rice noodles/Shavige 500 grams

·        Lemon/Lime Juice from two whole limes

·        Onions finely chopped – 2

·        Green chillies – finely chopped or slit 5-6 (depending on your requirement)

·        Mustard seeds 1 tsp

·        Curry leaves – 10-20

·        Channa Dhal /split black chickpea– 2 tbsp

·        Urad dhal / split black gram - 1 tbsp

·        Peanuts – a handful

·        Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

·        Oil – 2 tbsp

·        Fresh Cilantro/ Coriander – a hand full

·        Grated coconut – about ½ cup

How to prepare:

1.      Boil Rice noodles in water (double the measure of rice noodles) for 5-8 minutes by adding a ½ tsp of salt.  Once cooked drain and rinse in cold water for couple of times by adding 1 tsp oil in cold water to avoid stickiness. OR You can follow the instructions on the package. Just make sure you don’t over cook it otherwise it becomes mushy.

2.      Heat oil in a large Kadai. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle.

3.      Add curry leaves, urad dhal and channa dhal, green chillies and chopped onions one after another leaving a gap of 20-30 seconds.  Sauté till onions become transparent.

4.      Add turmeric powder, salt and lemon juice. Stir well and simmer the flame.

5.      Finally add chopped Cilantro, grated coconut and drained rice noodles and gently mix it together.

6.      Serve hot with Coconut Chutney.

Points to Ponder:

Speaking of food looking good, aren’t we women obsessed with that craving too??  After giving birth to my son, I have put on a lot of weight and am constantly trying to lose weight (but in vain)! All of a sudden I am obsessed about looking good, which I never bothered about in my teens and early twenties. I am not saying we shouldn’t take out time for ourselves but should we be so obsessed about it that it affects are relationships, time and money?  As a woman grows older the obsession gets stronger I must say! But it’s in our hands not to let that desire become an obsession! This scripture portion below reminds us to know where to find such beauty!!

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of gentle and quite spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight.”                  
                                                                                                                                                                 1 Peter 3:3-4