Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and roast the vermicelli to golden brown. Remove it in a bowl and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil or ghee and add the seasonings (mustard seeds, urad dal, asafetida, cashew nuts, red chilies and curry leaves). Let the mustard seeds sputter and the rest of the ingredients fry for a minute.

Now add the chopped onions and fry it until translucent (about 5 mins).

To this add the cut vegetables and sauté it until tender.

Now add about 3 cups of water. Also add the required salt and let the water come to a boil. Check if the vegetables are cooked. Make sure that the vegetables still have a bite to it.

Now add the roasted semiya to the boiling water and let it cook. Once the semiya cooks, it would absorb all the water. If you feel that the vermicelli is not cooked, add some more water and cook it for few more minutes.

Also cooking with the lid on helps to quicken the cooking process. Once the semiya has cooked and absorbed all the water, remove it from flame and add the lime juice. Mix well and pack it in lunch boxes.

My kids like the Semiya Upma with ketchup and some sugar on the side.