Upma {Savory Semolina Dish}
A humble and easy recipe to cook with semolina. It can be packed for lunch or eaten for breakfast or brunch.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: South Indian
Servings: 4
Author: Sonal Gupta @ simplyvegetarian777
- Semolina dry roasted - 1 cup
- Onion red - 1 small, finley chopped
- Ginger - 1 small piece minced or chopped fine
- Garlic - 1 pod chopped fine
- Curry leaves - 10 to 12
- Green Chili - 1 seeds removed and chopped fine
- Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped fine
- Mint leaves - 2 to 3 chopped fine (optional)
- Water - 2&1/2 cups
Oils, Spices & Condiments
- Oil - 1&1/2 tbsp
- Black Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
- Chana dal - 1/2 tbsp
- Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
- Peanuts unsalted - 3 tbsp
- Cashews unsalted - 1&1/2 tbsp, broken into pieces
- Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
- Red Dry Chili - 1 to 2
Dry Roasting Semolina
Take a heavy bottom pan and add semolina to it. Roast the semolina on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes till you can smell a nice aroma. Keep stirring since it gets burnt at the bottom quite fast.
Take it out in a dry plate or bowl and set aside.
Making Upma
Take the same heavy bottom pan and heat 1&1/2 tbsp oil in it. Add mustard seeds, urad and chana dal , dry red chili, plus cashews and peanuts to the pan. Saute and stir at medium heat in the pan, till mustard seeds splutter and dals turn slightly golden and peanuts & cashews are reddish in color.
Now add green chili, ginger, garlic and onion to the pan. Keep sauteing on medium heat till onions turn soft and translucent. It takes about 3-4 minutes. We do not brown the onions.
Once this prep is done, add dry roasted semolina, salt, black pepper and water to the pan.
Give it a good stir on high heat. Once the water comes to boiling point, reduce the heat to minimum. Cover the pan with lid.
Cook on low heat, till water is absorbed. It takes about 7-8 minutes.
You may stop cooking at this point and enjoy a slightly porridgy Upma.
Cook further till it dries up a little bit and start caking. Open the lid. Fork it out with fork and serve it warm.