Suji (Semolina) Upma
- Author: Nilita Das
- Prep Time: 8 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Suji or Semolina, also known as Rava, are widely used in Indian cooking. Sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, sometimes as crunchy coating, semolina has many wonderful appearances.
Suji upma is a healthy, easy-to-make and popular breakfast dish from South India with all sorts of flavors and vegetables in it. This traditional dish is just done by roasting semolina and flavoring it with ghee (or oil), cashews, urad dal (lentils), chana dal (husked Bengal gram), onion, ginger, chopped vegetables of choice and additional herbs and spices. Sugar can be added for a mildly sweet and savory dish.
What makes upma special are all the fried ingredients that are used for tempering. These ingredients may vary depending on the recipe, but usually include some sweet, savory and nutty flavors.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup semolina flour
- 1 tablespoons ghee (homemade preferred) or refined vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon split black gram (Urad dal)
- 1 small onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 small green chills split lengthwise
- Few curry leaves
- 1/4 cup diced boiled carrots
- 1/4 cup boiled green peas
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Salt as required
- Water as required
Instructions
-
Place semolina in pan and cook over medium heat until toasty but not browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
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Return pan to medium heat and heat ghee or oil until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and split black gram, stir until they splutter, about 30 seconds. Add the onion, fry until slightly soft, about a minute (take care not to brown). Add slit green chillis, curry leaves and stir until fragrant, about a minute longer. Add the carrots, peas, turmeric powder, and sugar, and stir until fragrant and the mixture is coated with the ghee/oil, about 1 minute.
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Add toasted semolina and stir vigorously until the mixture resembles wet sand—about a minute. Add the salt and gently pour in the water. The semolina will bubble and spurt as it absorbs the water. Reduce heat to low. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The Upma absorbs water very quickly and tends to dry out too, so turn off the heat and cover for 1-2 minutes when the mixture is slightly runny. Serve immediately with choice of chutney.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 188 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 7 g
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g