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.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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.
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