Upma or Rava Upma is a quick & easy South Indian breakfast made with semolina flour, onions, spices, nuts, cilantro, and lemon juice.
Growing up my mom prepared Upma quite often for breakfast. Although this dish is a South Indian specialty, it is highly popular all over North India as well.
Truthfully speaking, I was never a fan of Upma because my mom made it North Indian style with a ton of veggies and no curry pata. I know it probably sounds okay to you, but it was seriously so bland and boring. Lol.
It was not until I met my best friend, Anu, whose parents are originally from Andhra Pradesh that I had a taste of real South Indian style Upma with minimal veggies and South Indian spices.
This is when I started to appreciate this simple, yet delicious Indian breakfast dish. Oddly enough, out of all the dishes my son, Krish, has tried, Upma is one that he enjoys with yogurt.
What is Upma?
Upma is a classic South Indian breakfast that’s popular all over India. It’s made with suji/rava which is known as semolina flour in English.
Classic Rava Upma is simple, yet bursting with flavor as it’s prepared with mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, green chilies, and curry leaves.
There are absolutely no Indian spice powders used in this recipe, except asafoetida (hing). The whole spices add a ton of flavor to this dish so you don’t need to add any additional masalas.
Upma is:
Delicious
Quick & Easy
a South Indian Breakfast
the Perfect Weekend Brunch
Comforting
Satisfying
Vegan
Ingredients for Upma:
Suji/Rava: Suji/Rava is also called semolina flour. Make sure to look for the fine variety.
2. Add rava to a nonstick pan and dry roast until it is fragrant and toasty. Make sure you don’t brown the rava. This should take a few minutes.
3. Set aside.
Prep the Ingredients
1. Chop the onions, ginger, and cashews. Slice green chilies. Rinse frozen peas under warm water, drain, and set aside. Set aside curry leaves, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, and hing.
Cook
1. Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, followed by mustard seeds (rye). Saute for about 30 seconds.
2. Add chana dal and urad dal. Saute for another 30 seconds.
3. Add asafoetida (hing). Saute for 30 seconds.
4. Now add ginger, cashews, and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
5. Add onions and salt. Saute for 3 minutes or so until the onions are translucent. Do not brown the onions, we simply want them to be translucent.
6. Add green peas. Saute for a minute.
7. Now add water and salt.
8. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
9. The water should come to a rolling boil.
10. Now add rava/suji a little at a time and stir at the same time. Doing so will prevent any lumps.
11. This is what you’ll have once the rava/suji has been incorporated with the water. It’ll look smooth and creamy.
12. Cook the upma on low heat for a couple of minutes. Add fresh cilantro and lemon juice. Adjust salt.
13. Mix well. You’ll notice the upma will become more crumbly as the moisture gets absorbed.
Serving Suggestions
Growing up, my mom always served upma with yogurt, I guess it’s a Punjabi thing. 🙂 So yeah, I love eating my South Indian style upma with yogurt and achaar.
This delicous South Indian brunch goes well with a cup of masala chai especially when it’s made for breakfast or brunch.
Storage Suggestions
Simply store your Rava Upma in a glass container and it’ll keep in the fridge for the following 2 days. I find that upma tastes even better the next day as it becomes crumblier and it still has moisture.
Tips on making Rava Upma / Sooji Upma / Suji Upma:
Dry roast the rava/suji first. Do not brown the rava/suji, but it should be dry and toasty.
Prep your ingredients – chop the veggies. Set everything aside as you’ll need to work quickly.
Cook the upma as per the directions.
I recommend using a 1:3 ratio of rava/suji to water.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Can I make this recipe vegan, gluten-free?
Upma is already vegan, however rava/suji is not gluten-free.
You can replace rava/suji with quinoa, however that would be another recipe.
2. Can I make Upma with ghee?
Absolutely! You can add ghee to upma towards the very end of the dish which adds so much richness to this dish.
3, Is Upma typically eaten for breakfast?
Yes! Upma is typically eaten for breakfast or brunch with a cup of masala chai, however I’ve made this dish for dinner too because it’s so quick & easy. I love it with yogurt and achaar.
4. What other veggies can I add to Rava Upma?
You can add frozen diced carrots and beans. Both of those veggies work really well in upma. I wouldn’t go overboard on veggies. Perhaps 1/4 cup of carrots and 1/4 cup of beans will do.
5. What’s the ratio of rava/suji to water?
Making upma can be tricky. I’ve talked to my mom and my best friend, and both of them suggested three times the amount of water. For slightly dry upma, you can use two and a half times the amount of water. I personally like using 3 times the amount of water because when you have leftovers, the moisture is lost and this results in a more crumbly upma that isn’t too drying.
Ratio: 1 cup rava/suji to 3 times water is the ratio I like to use.
Add rava to a nonstick pan and dry roast until it is fragrant and toasty. Make sure you don't brown the rava. This should take a few minutes.
Set aside.
Prep the Ingredients
Chop the onions, ginger, and cashews. Slice green chilies. Rinse frozen peas under warm water, drain, and set aside. Set aside curry leaves, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, and hing.
Cook
Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, followed by mustard seeds (rye). Saute for about 30 seconds.
Add chana dal and urad dal. Saute for another 30 seconds.
Add asafoetida (hing). Saute for 30 seconds.
Now add ginger, cashews, and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
Add onions and salt. Saute for 3 minutes or so until the onions are translucent. Do not brown the onions, we simply want them to be translucent.
Add green peas. Saute for a minute.
Now add water and salt.
Cover and simmer on medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
The water should come to a rolling boil.
Now add rava/suji a little at a time and stir at the same time. Doing so will prevent any lumps.
This is what you'll have once the rava/suji has been incorporated with the water. It'll look smooth and creamy.
Cook the upma on low heat for a couple of minutes. Add fresh cilantro and lemon juice. Adjust salt.
Mix well. You'll notice the upma will become more crumbly as the moisture gets absorbed.
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
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