Upma & Vada Mix

Upma, or uppuma, is a savoury porridge of roasted semolina cooked with mustard seed, urad dal, curry leaves, green chilli and ginger, often with vegetables stirred through. Medu vada is the crisp, doughnut-shaped fritter made from ground urad dal, eaten with sambar and chutney. Dahi vada, called dahi bara in Pakistan and North India, is a soft lentil dumpling soaked in whisked yoghurt and topped with tamarind chutney and roasted cumin. Making any of them from scratch involves roasting, soaking or grinding, and the mixes handle that stage.

Upma mix needs only boiling water and a few minutes in the pan, while quick cup versions are ready with a kettle alone, handy for work or travel. Vada mix is combined with water to a thick batter, rested, then shaped and fried. Dahi vada mix makes dumplings that are soaked in water, squeezed and then dressed with yoghurt. Sambar mix gives a ready spiced lentil base to add vegetables and tamarind to.

For medu vada, wet your hands, shape a ball, press a hole through the middle with your thumb and slide it into oil at around 175 degrees: too hot and the centre stays raw. See more under instant mixes, including dosa and idli mix and pakora and bhaji mix, and for from-scratch cooking try semolina, sooji and rava and tamarind and date chutney for dahi vada.