Upma

Upma is a cooked savoury breakfast made from semolina.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked cream of wheat/semolina
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • ½ cup carrots, beans diced and peas (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh curry leaves
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • A pinch of asafetida
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon urad dhal
  • 1 tablespoon gram (chana) dhal
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Methods
  1. Dry roast the semolina on a medium heat in a skillet until lightly browned for about 5 minutes Set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add asafetida, mustard seeds and sauté until seeds crackle.
  3. Add urad dhal, chana dhal, curry leaves and stir.
  4. If using vegetables, add onion first and stir until light brown. Then add the turmeric and the vegetables and stir.
  5. If not using vegetables, add the onion and fry until light brown. Then add the turmeric.
  6. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.
    To the boiling water, slowly add the roasted cream of wheat/semolina stirring briskly to avoid formation of lumps until very thick. Stir rapidly for approximately 3 minutes or until it is cooked.
  7. The upma is ready once it moves as one mass and is soft when tasted. If not cooked and the upma is dry, you can add a little water and allow it to steam until cooked.
  8. Serve hot with coconut chutney or tomato-peanut chutney (See recipes in condiments section).