Kurukkan Noodles Upma (Ragi/Finger Millet)

Kurukkan noodles are made with red finger millet - It is highly nutritive with a high protein content. I have almost completely switched to making ragi Idlis & dosais at home. For some reason though, these noodles are NOT easily available in the Indian stores around where I live. So I have had to ask my mother-in-law to bring some for me from Canada. Ragi by itself has a slightly nutty taste like quinoa and needs no dressing up - But it is always good to throw in a vegetable or two to make it even more nutritious.  My little one loves baby carrots, so i chopped a few up and added it to my upma -
Upma the dish always brings to mind 2 people - One is my dad - he said the measure of a good cook is to be able to make a "rava or cream of wheat upma without any knots in it - soft, smooth and delicious - That has always stuck in my head and I do pride myself on making it just the way he likes it - sadly he didn't lived long enough to visit my home, see my as a married woman except during the wedding - But I do dedicate all my Rava Upmas to him :)
As for the second person, it is my husband's grandma - Paati - We'd been to Thirunelveli to visit her one time in 2000 during the millennium and at her age she was a mighty sprightly lady, drawing water from the well at 4 AM to heat water for us to bathe. She made us a Daliya or Cracked Wheat Upma - It was fragrant with lots of ghee (:) hospitality is meant to fatten you up, right? She had also added some freshly grated coconut (this is Thirunelveli afterall, so no dearth for fresh coconuts) and I LOVED a dish that I had hitherto always resisted.

My mother-in-law introduced me to these noodles - and ever since we have loved it. This upma joins the ranks of the bigwigs in the Upma category - Rava, Vermicelli, arusi, daliya and yours truly Ragi :)
SO easy to make and So light and wonderful on the stomach.

Prepration
They come in packs
1 use a whole pack for family of 5 and some leftovers - but half should suffice if it is a lunch/brunch dish
and # of persons of course.

• Like upma, temper in 2 tsp of oil of choice some mustard seeds, asafetida, urad dal and curry leaves and 1-2 green chilies - depending on their intensity.
• Once the mustard splutters and the urad turns golden, add 3 cups of water with some salt
• Bring to boil before adding the noodles (I do not roast them)
• All the ingredients are in now so all it needs is to cook so keep it closed and the heat in medium
• This will take about 7-10 minutes.
• Around the 7th minute, open the lid and allow the excess water to evaporate
• I always like some nuts in my upmas so I think I added cashews or chipped almonds
• Drizzle 2 tsp of either sesame oil or olive oil or butter on the top  and give it one stir before serving. I made some red bell pepper chutney to go with it. I had also made vadais that day - can get a peek of it on the plate :)

Happy weekend lunching folks :)