Upma is a dish originating from the Indian subcontinent, Most common in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtrian and Sri Lankan Tamil breakfast. It’s normally cooked as a thick porridge from dry-roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. A bowl of upma has fibre, vitamins, and healthy fats. It is low in cholesterol and calories which makes it a healthy meal and helps you have a balanced diet. The key to making a good upma lies in the rava/semolina to water ratio. Using less water results in hard upma, and adding more water gives a soft fluffy texture to upma, which is more widely loved. It’s one of my go-to recipes for my kid’s tiffin even though they refuse to have it, they come back with their tiffin being all clean. Upma isn’t traditionally popular in Kerala but people do like to have it as a snack. lastly, upma is considered being a whole packed healthy meal which is normally eaten as breakfast. So, if you do visit the south, get a taste of the traditional upma!
INGREDIENTS
- Semolina -1cup
- Ghee-2tbsp
- Oil -3tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1tsp
- Chana dal (split chick pea lentil)- 1tsp
- Urad dal (split black gram)-1tsp
- Ginger chopped finely-1tsp
- Cashews-1tbsp
- Onion- 2(chopped finely)
- Tomato (finely chopped)-1
- Curry leaves- a little
- Carrot (finely chopped)- 2tbsp
- Beans (finely chopped)-2tbsp
- Fresh green peas-1tbsp
- Coriander leaves-a little
- Water-3cups
- Salt-accordingly
Method
- Heat a pan add the ghee and semolina. Start roasting the semolina on medium flame for 5 minutes or until you get a nice aroma. Keep aside
- In another pan add the oil on a low medium flame. Add mustard seeds when it splutters add the chana and urad dal and sauté till the dal changes its colour slightly
- Add the ginger chopped sauté till the raw smell goes. Add the cashews sauté for a minute.
- Add the onions and curry leaves sauté till the onion turns transparent. Add the tomatoes and sauté till it’s soft.
- Add the green chillies, carrot, beans, fresh green peas. Sauté the vegetables till its tender for about 5minutes.
- Pour 3cups of water in the vegetable mix add salt. The water should be slightly salty.
- Bring the water to boil on medium flame. When the water boils lower the flame. Now pour the roasted semolina in a very slow stream with one hand and constantly stirring with a whisk with the other hand. So that there are no lumps and will be evenly cooked.
- Add the coriander leaves stir it nicely close and cook the upma for 3 to 4 minutes in low medium flame.
- Switch off the flame and keep it covered for 5minutes.
- You can serve this delicious upma breakfast with tomato chutney or pickle.
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