MIXED VEGETABLE UPMA

MIXED VEGETABLE UPMA (Savory Semolina Porridge) – a quick, healthy and delicious south Indian dish with semolina/rava, vegetables, spices and aromatics; a cuppa coffee on the side and our breakfast is sorted!

Indians love to have a hearty breakfast; be it the sumptuous and filling Aloo Parathas of north India, dosas and idlis from the south or the mouthwatering Kanda Poha from Maharashtra in the western part to name a few!

Our favorite is always crisp dosas (a variety of them in our recipe repertoire!) or idlis! Sometimes, when there is no batter leftover to make these, we either eat toast or my favorite, Mixed Vegatable Upma!

WHAT IS “UPMA?

Upma is a savory, spicy and flavorful semolina/suji/rava porridge like dish with spices like mustard, lentils and aromatics like onions, ginger etc.! It is a south Indian favorite and known by different names in different states; Upma in Tamilnadu, Uppittu or Khara Bhaath as the Kannadigas say in Karnataka or as we Konkanis call it - Rulanv!

A simple upma will have just mustard, some curry leaves, green chilies and a lentil/urad dal tempering. Roasted semolina is then added to this tempering and cooked using some hot water (twice the amount is my favorite ratio or if you love a runny upma, you can increase the amount of water).

But the piece de resistance or the best part is the addition of ghee and oil and lots of it if you want a super delicious upma! I have tried using less oil/ghee (calorie conscious and all that!) but meh! I prefer the “more ghee/oil” upma any time! After all it is not every day you have to eat upma, don’t you think? So, why not make the best one!

OTHER INGREDIENTS YOU CAN ADD:

I love to add veggies in my upma and the more popular being carrots, green beans, green peas etc.! Let your imagination and palate or season guide you.

Nuts are not a must but give a lovely texture variation and bite to this pudding. Either use peanuts or cashew nuts. If using, roast along with the aromatics or if using roasted, stir in the end.

My hubby loves tomatoes in his upma, although I have not added here. Stir in chopped fresh tomatoes just before adding hot water to cook the semolina.

And of course, lots of ghee (avoid if vegan and add only oil) and/or oil! Use a odorless oil and the best ghee you can find.

My mom makes the best upma and the secret to her upma is lots of ghee. I remember watching her make it and I was flabbergasted but when she said “It has to taste yum na?”, I bowed down and accepted my fate. But, lo and behold, she was right! It does make a lot of difference in the texture and flavor! So, do add some ghee in your upma; more or less is your choice.

If you like a variation, stir in turmeric powder, your favorite garam masala powder or curry powder while frying the aromatics. This is popular in the southern state of Karnataka where they add either a spice powder called ‘vangi bhaath powder” or the popular sambar powder to spice up upmas and they are called Khara bhaath!

Any which way you make it and regardless of the ingredients you prefer, you are going to love this south Indian semolina porridge like dish or upma/rulanv/uppittu as we call it and it is best enjoyed for breakfast or as an evening filling snack.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Mixed Vegetable Upma is normally served in our house with some crispies like boondis (deep fried besan/chickpea balls), Kerala style banana chips or some sev (deep fried chickpea noodles).

Whenever I have leftover chutney (or you can make fresh too!), I serve upma with some chutney on the side like we get in hotels or restaurants in India.

But the best accompaniment is hot, hot filter coffee or kapi as we call it or some tea if you prefer. I sweeten my coffee or tea with jaggery; a much healthier option and better than plain sugar.

MORINGA VEGETABLE UPMA (Updated November 2021):

Having a huge moringa tree in my garden has so many benefits; you get to enjoy seasonal drumsticks (moringa) as well as its flowers and the year round supply of super food moringa leaves!

So, in these nutritious leaves went into my favorite upma!

Just washed, drained and chopped the required amount of moringa leaves and added to the upma just before adding hot water to cook it.

A wonderful way to sneak in this super food in your family's diet don't you think?

Hope you make this simple yet delicious south Indian breakfast delight soon and enjoy with family and friends .

Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking!

Here are some more quick and delicious dishes you can make with semolina:

Lets check out how to make south Indian style Mixed Vegetable Upma:

Yum

MIXED VEGETABLE UPMA

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serving Size: 3-4

A quick, healthy and delicious south Indian dish with semolina, vegetables, spices and aromatics; a cuppa coffee on the side and are breakfast is sorted!

Ingredients

1 cup rava/semolina/suji
½ cup onions, finely chopped
¼ to ½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
2 green chilies/jalapeno/Serrano
1 inch piece ginger, grated or finely chopped
Handful of curry leaves, whole or finely chopped
1 to 1 ½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal/white lentils/split black gram dal
Handful of peanuts, optional
2 cups hot water
¼ cup oil
3 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter (Optional but gives a lovely aroma and flavor!)
Salt to taste
Freshly chopped coriander leaves or cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Prep all the ingredients – chop onions, green chilies, curry leaves (if using chopped), carrots, grate ginger etc.
Keep water for boiling and add green peas to it. Boil until the peas are cooked; set aside.
Heat oil in a large deep saucepan or kadai and once it is hot, add mustard seeds.
The seeds will splutter and crackle and when almost done, stir in urad dal and sauté for a few seconds until light golden.
Stir in chopped green chilies, onions, curry leaves and ginger; give it a good stir and fry on medium heat until the onions are soft.
Add the chopped carrots and peanuts if using and sauté for a minute.
Tip in the semolina and mix well. Roast/fry on medium heat, stirring often until the suji is well fried/roasted and the seasoniongs and oil are coating it well.
AT this stage, add salt to taste and the hot water (along with the green peas, if using), stirring continuously with a ladle to avoid any lumps. To avoid splashing of cooking suji, lower the heat at this stage.
You can add a couple of tablespoons of ghee now and then keep mixing continuously.
Close with a lid and let cook on low heat for a couple of minutes to allow the semolina to absorb all the water and cook well.
Once done, rempve the lid, stir in more ghee if needed (recommended!) and garnish with freshly cut cilantro.
Mix well and serve hot with some crispies like banana chips, boondi, mixture, sev etc. Soouth Indians love to enjoy it with some coconut chutney so do serve some on the side if possible. I was out of freshly grated coconut, so had to omit that!
Enjoy this savory, spicy and mouthwatering South Indian style Mixed Vegatable Upma with some hot, hot adrak chai/ginger tea or strong coffee (sweetened with jaggery my style!) for breakfast or even as an evening snack!
Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking!

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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE MIXED VEGETABLE UPMA:

Prep all the ingredients – chop onions, green chilies, curry leaves (if using chopped), carrots, grate ginger etc.

Keep water for boiling and add green peas to it. Boil until the peas are cooked; set aside.

Heat oil in a large deep saucepan or kadai and once it is hot, add mustard seeds.

The seeds will splutter and crackle and when almost done, stir in urad dal and saute for a few seconds until light golden.

Stir in chopped green chilies, onions, curry leaves and ginger; give it a good stir and fry on medium heat until the onions are soft.

Add the chopped carrots and peanuts if using and saute for a minute.

Tip in the semolina and mix well. Roast/fry on medium heat, stirring often until the suji is well fried/roasted and the seasoniongs and oil are coating it well.

At this stage, add salt to taste and the hot water (along with the green peas, if using), stirring continuously with a ladle to avoid any lumps. To avoid splashing of cooking suji, lower the heat at this stage.

You can add a couple of tablespoons of ghee now and then keep mixing continuously.

Close with a lid and let cook on low heat for a couple of minutes to allow the semolina to absorb all the water and cook well.

Once done, remove the lid, stir in more ghee if needed (recommended!) and garnish with freshly cut cilantro.

Mix well and serve hot with some crispies like banana chips, boondi, mixture, sev etc. South Indians love to enjoy it with some coconut chutney so do serve some on the side if possible. I was out of freshly grated coconut, so had to omit that!

Enjoy this savory, spicy and mouthwatering South Indian style Mixed Vegatable Upma with some hot, hot adrak chai/ginger tea or strong coffee (sweetened with jaggery my style!) for breakfast or even as an evening snack!

Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking!