Ingredients
Method
- Dry roast the semolina in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes until it smells toasty but has not changed colour. Set aside.
- Heat ghee, pop the mustard seeds, then fry the urad dal, chana dal and cashews until golden. Add curry leaves, chilli and ginger.
- Add the onion and vegetables and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the hot water and salt and bring to a boil. Pour in the semolina slowly with one hand while stirring with the other to avoid lumps.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 minutes. Finish with lemon juice and coriander.
The spices that matter
Black or brown mustard seeds start most South Indian, Gujarati and Maharashtrian tempering: they pop in hot oil before curry leaves and dals go in. G…
No mustard seed? Cumin seeds give a different but workable tempering. Yellow mustard seeds are milder.
Fried in hot oil with mustard seeds for sambar, rasam, poha, upma, chutneys and Kerala and Tamil dishes.
No curry leaves? No real substitute. Lime zest gives a hint of the citrus note.
Fried in tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves for poha, upma, lemon rice and chutneys.
No split black gram (for tempering)? Chana dal.
Fried with urad dal and mustard seeds in tempering, and roasted into podis and sambar powder.
No split chickpeas (for tempering)? Urad dal.
Nice to have
Salt, oil or ghee, onions, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs are assumed. See how to make a tadka for the order to add whole spices.
Dishes with similar spices
Frequently asked questions
How long does upma take to make?
About 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
What spices are in upma?
The essentials are mustard seed, curry leaves, split black gram (for tempering), split chickpeas (for tempering). Nice to have: asafoetida, dried red chillies.
Tips from travellers
Use Upma differently at home? Share your tip. The first good one goes right here.