Upma! Basic and popular South Indian Breakfast Recipe which is loved by everyone. Takes less than 15 minutes to make and is a crowd pleaser. Upma also known as Suji ka upma is made with sooji also knowns as cream of wheat or semolina flour. The tempering for upma uses onion, green chillies, ginger and spices like mustard, lentils, cashews. Learn how to make upma two ways with vegetables or without, this will be your go-to breakfast option from now on. Serve it with coconut chutney or sugar to have a satisfying breakfast.
Heat oil in a kadai. Once oil is hot enough, add in chana dal, cashews first and cook on low heat till it gets light golden in colour. Keep mixing for even browning. Now add in mustard seeds and urad dal. Let them sizzle till golden. Add in asafoetida and curry leaves.
Add in finely chopped onions, green chillies and grated ginger. Saute for 1 minute till the raw smell leaves.
Add in suji | rava into the onion mixture and start roasting. I add a tsp of ghee when roasting the sooji for added aroma. This step is optional. Even though I used roasted suji, I prefer to roast it further for 2 to 3 minutes till golden brown which adds nutty aroma to the cooked Upma.
Meanwhile I used 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rava. Bring water to a good boil. It has to be hot when you pour into the Upma.
Once the suji is roasted well, reduce the flame and pour the hot water little at time and mix gently till sooji starts to thicken.
Add a tbsp of ghee over the Upma. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, open the lid, fluff up the upma and add extra 1 tbsp ghee, squeeze of lemon juice and mix. Turn off the flame. Cover again and let the Upma sit covered for another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes mix the upma gently and Serve hot.
How to Make Upma with Vegetables
Take water and milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Keep this hot until needed.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add in all tempering ingredients and let it sizzle in hot oil for a minute.
Once it is done. Add in onions, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, carrots, beans and fry it for 5 mins, the vegetables should be cooked almost at this point.
Add in salt and turmeric powder. Saute this for couple of mins.
Now add in the rava and fry it with the oil and veg mixture. Roast the sooji for at least 3 to 4 minutes.
Pour in the boiling water and milk mixture and keep mixing. The mixture will get thick. Reduce the flame and cover with a tight lid and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. When the time is up, open the lid and fluff the upma.
Add the ghee and switch off the flame. Cover the pan with the lid. Let it sit for 10 mins.
After 10 mins. Fluff again and serve upma with chutney.