This is an easy, healthy and delicious oats upma made with quick-cooking oats & mixed veggies.
To make this recipe you can use any variety of oats like rolled oats or steel cut oats or instant oats. The upma made with rolled oats (old fashioned oats) or steel cuts oats will have more texture and chewiness than the one made with quick-cooking oats as used in my recipe.
That said, rolled oats and steel cuts oats are a better choice as they are more healthier. So you can use any of them in this recipe. Just remember to add water accordingly.
I get many requests to share oats recipes. So I have shared a few popular Oats recipes on the blog like:
This delicious oats upma is easy to prepare and gets done within 30 minutes including both the preparation and cooking.
I prepare this oats upma the way I make Rava upma. I have added some finely chopped veggies and I do suggest adding them as they give a good texture and of course a nutritional boost to the dish.
You can add your choice of veggies. I usually stick to the trio of carrots, french beans and green peas. You can also add capsicum, cabbage, broccoli, baby corn and steamed corn.
However, if you want then you can skip adding the veggies. Skipping vegetables will reduce the cooking time.
Oats upma can be served plain, drizzled with some lime or lemon juice or also served with a side of coconut chutney. It also makes for a healthy tiffin box snack.
How to make oats upma
Roasting oats
1. Heat ½ tsp oil in a shallow frying pan. Add 1 cup quick cooking oats (100 grams).
2. Stir and saute on a low flame till the oats become crisp. Keep stirring continuously so that the oats do not get browned from the bottom. No need to brown the oats. Just some crispness in them is fine. Just about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Remove oats in a plate or tray and keep aside.
Making tempering for oats upma
4. In the same pan, heat 1 to 1.5 tbsp oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. Stir and saute till the mustard seeds crackle.
5. Then add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 tsp urad dal (optional) and 8 to 10 cashews. Instead of cashews, you can also use roasted peanuts.
6. Stir and saute till the chana dal gets browned.
7. Add ¼ cup tightly packed finely chopped onions.
8. Stir and saute till the onions turn translucent.
9. Next add ½ tsp ginger, finely chopped, 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped (you can also add deseeded broken red chilies or a mixture of both green & dry red chilies) and 7 to 8 curry leaves. Stir and saute for half a minute.
Cooking veggies
10. Then add ¼ cup finely chopped carrots, ¼ cup finely chopped french beans and ¼ cup green peas, fresh or frozen. Other veggies you can add are baby corn, capsicum (bell pepper), broccoli and cabbage. You can also add steamed corn or canned corn kernels.
11. Stir and saute for 2 minutes.
12. Then add 1.25 cups water.
13. Cover the pan with its lid.
14. On a medium flame simmer and cook this mixture till the veggies are almost cooked. About 8 to 9 minutes.
Making oats upma
15. Then add the roasted oats.
16. Stir lightly.
17. Add salt as required.
18. Stir very well.
19. Then cover the pan again with its lid and on a low flame, steam for 7 to 8 minutes.
20. Here the oats upma is done and steamed well. If the mixture looks very dry, then you can sprinkle some water and stir again.
21. Then add 1 to 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves).
22. Stir and Serve oats upma drizzled with some lemon or lime juice or with a side of coconut chutney. You can also pack them for the kid’s lunch box or have them as an evening snack or breakfast with a cup of hot tea.
Few more tasty recipes
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Oats Upma
By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
for roasting oats
- 1 cup quick cooking oats or 100 grams
- ½ teaspoon oil
other ingredients
- ¼ cup tightly packed finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrots
- ¼ cup finely chopped french beans
- ¼ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
- 7 to 8 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (optional)
- 8 to 10 cashews or roasted peanuts
- ½ teaspoon ginger - finely chopped
- 1 or 2 green chilies - chopped
- 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- 1.25 cups water
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoon oil or ghee (clarified butter)
- salt as required
Instructions
roasting oats
- Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan. Add 1 cup quick cooking oats.
- Stir and saute on a low flame till the oats become crisp.
- Keep stirring continuously so that the oats do not get browned from the bottom. No need to brown the oats.
- Remove oats in a plate or tray and keep aside.
making tempering for oats upma
- In the same pan, heat 1 to 1.5 tbsp oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. Stir and saute till the mustard seeds crackle.
- Then add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 tsp urad dal (optional) and 8 to 10 cashews.
- Stir and saute till the chana dal gets browned.
- Add 1/4 cup tightly packed finely chopped onions. Stir and saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Next add 1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped, 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped and 7 to 8 curry leaves. Stir and saute for half a minute.
making oats upma
- Then add 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots, 1/4 cup finely chopped french beans and 1/4 cup green peas, fresh or frozen. Stir and saute for 2 minutes.
- Then add 1.25 cups water. Cover the pan with its lid.
- On a medium flame simmer and cook this mixture till the veggies are almost done. About 8 to 9 minutes.
- Then add the roasted oats. Stir lightly. Add salt as required. Stir very well.
- Then cover the pan again with its lid and on a low flame, steam for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Once done, then add 1 to 2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves.
- Stir and serve oats upma drizzled with some lemon or lime juice.
Notes
- The addition of veggies is optional. But we suggest to add them.
- You can add veggies like carrots, french beans, green peas (fresh or frozen), capsicum (bell pepper), broccoli, baby corn and cabbage. You can also add steamed corn or canned corn kernels.
- You can use any variety of oats like rolled oats or steel-cut oats or instant oats. Do remember to add the water accordingly.
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Recipe sounds very good. Will try it soon. Also could you please post recipe for mushroom risotto.
Thanks Khaitan. I have noted down the recipe request and will try to post soon.
Tried out and it turned nice. Thank you for recipe.
welcome bhavya and thanks for the feedback.
Hi, if I use rolled oats for this recipe, how much would the cooking time change? Thanks!
lalita, rolled oats will take a longer time and may also need more water. i cannot tell the exact time. so the only thing is to check when the oats are cooking.