Upma: A South Indian Breakfast Dish

Rozlin loves to cook healthy food for her little angel and she wants to share this healthy recipe with her readers.

South Indian Breakfast Dish

Easy to make dish

Upma

Upma is a traditional South Indian breakfast dish made by simmering roasted rava in tempered & spiced boiling water. Rava is the South Indian word for 'semolina' so it is also known as rava upma. It is flavored by ghee or oil, mustard seeds, urad daal, curry leaves, onion, and other vegetables. Upma should be your go-to breakfast meal if you wish to lose weight quickly. A bowl of upma has fiber, vitamins, and healthy fats. It is low in cholesterol and calories which makes it a healthy meal and helps you have a balanced diet. It is a quick and easy to make dish.

Cook Time

Chopped Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rava(semolina), roasted
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds(rai)
• 2 teaspoons urad daal(black gram)
• 2 green chillies, slit, chopped
• 7-8 curry leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida(hing)
• 1 onion, medium size, chopped
• 1/2 capsicum, small, chopped
• 1/2 carrot, small, chopped
• salt, as per taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coriander, chopped
• 3 cups water

Cooking Upma

Instructions

1. Roast rava in a dry non-stick pan without browning. Remove and cool.
2. Boil water in a saucepan with salt and lemon juice.
3. Heat ghee in a frying pan or kadai. Add mustard seeds, urad daal. Sauté urad daal till it turns light brown.
4. Add green chillies, curry leaves, hing, onion and sauté well.
5. Add chopped capsicum and carrot. Sauté them.
6. Add roasted rava and give a good mix.
7. Add boiled water. Mix it. Cover & cook for 3-4 minutes.
8. When the water dries, add coriander, and mix well.
9. Serve it warm.

Suggestions & Variations

You can make upma using oil instead of ghee.

You can add any vegetable of your choice.

you can add chopped tomato, boiled green peas or corn,

Asafoetida or Hing relieves indigestion.

If more water is added, then upma gets loose and sticky. If less water is added, then it becomes dry.

There is one more reason for sticky upma. If rava is not roasted properly. So, take your time, roast on medium-low flame for about 6-7 minutes.

It is a great dish to add vegetables in disguise to give the required nutrition to your kids.

It is easy to chew for babies. You can add veggies in mashed or grated form. You can also add a pinch of turmeric.

Do not add urad daal for babies as it is hard to chew.

Health Benefits

• Semolina is a great source of magnesium and phosphorus which helps in keeping the nervous system healthy.
• Semolina is rich in iron and iron has a lot of functions in our body like transporting oxygen through blood, growth, and development and for the immune system.
• Semolina is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
• Compared to white flour, semolina flour is digested at a slower rate, which helps maintain blood sugar levels for people with diabetes.
• Semolina provides energy as it contains carbohydrates. It is good for kids as it is a high-carb food.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 Rozlin