Upma recipe With video and step by step photos – upma is a traditional South Indian breakfast dish made from rava. Rava is also called as suji in hindi and cream of wheat in english. Upma is usually served with coconut chutney, lemon slices or lemon pickle. It can also be had plain.
One easily gets upma in all the restaurants in south India including maharashtra. In fact upma would be a regular breakfast or evening snack in my growing up days. Upma is not only delicious but also a healthy breakfast option. this version of South Indian upma is how I make it at home and adapted from my mom’s recipe.
Making upma does not take much time and can be done in 15-20 minutes, if you have the roasted semolina ready.
I always roast semolina and then keep in an air-tight container. This way the semolina stays good for a longer time and does not become mouldy or spoilt. Also the time spent is less when you make upma or Rava cheela or Rava Pongal. you can make variety of recipes with rava.
We just loved the steaming hot upma served with some hot cuppa of chai or filter coffee. Our comfort breakfast any day.
How to make upma
1. Prep up the ingredients for the upma – take 1 cup rava (fine variety), finely chop 1 medium sized onion, 1 to 2 green chillies and ½ inch ginger and some coriander leaves. Also take 8 to 10 curry leaves, 10 to 12 cashews, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 tsp urad dal.
2. Heat a pan or kadai first. Add the 1 cup rava or cream of wheat (fine variety).
3. Begin to roast the rava. Stir often while roasting the rava.
4. The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. Don’t brown the rava.
5. Once the rava becomes fragrant and starts to look dry and crisp, then switch off the flame and add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside.
Making upma
6. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil.
7. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When you hear the crackling sound of mustard seeds, it means they are getting fried.
8. now add the ½ tsp cumin seeds along with 1 tsp chana dal (husked and split bengal gram) and 1 tsp urad dal (husked and split black gram).
9. Fry till the chana dal and urad dal begins to brown a bit.
10. Immediately then add cashews and begin to fry.
11. by the time, the cashews get golden the dals would also get golden.
12. Now add the finely chopped onions.
13. Saute the onions till they become translucent.
14. Then add the chopped green chilly, ginger and curry leaves.
15. Stir & saute for a minute.
16. Then add 2.5 cups water to this mixture.
17. Add salt as required.
18. Then add sugar. Sugar is optional and you can skip it. We prefer a slight sweet taste in the upma and hence we add it.
19. Stir well. on a medium to high flame, heat the water and let it come to a rolling boiling.
Adding rava for upma
20. when the water comes to a rolling boil, lower the flame to its lowest. Then add the rava in 4 to 5 batches with a spoon.
21. Once you add the rava, stir immediately.
22. Then add the next batch of rava. Stir again.
23. This way keep on adding and stirring the rava up to the last batch.
24. Quickly stir and mix very well. The rava grains absorb water and thus swell and get cooked.
25. Cover and allow the rava upma to steam for 2 minutes on the low flame.
26. Then switch off the flame. Here the rava is cooked and the upma is ready.
27. Lastly add about 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. You can add more coriander leaves if you like.
28. stir well.
30. Serve rava upma hot with slices of lemon. I also sprinkle some sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) on upma while serving. Though not the way upma is traditionally served. But folks at home prefer this Mumbai style. You can also serve it with coconut chutney or a lemon pickle.
More variations of upma recipes
Upma
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine rava (sooji or cream of wheat or semolina)
- 1 medium sized onion -chopped finely
- 1 green chilli - chopped
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and skinned bengal gram)
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and skinned black gram)
- ½ inch ginger grated or chopped finely
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 10 to 12 cashews
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or add as required, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
- salt as required
Instructions
prep up the ingredients
- Finely chop 1 medium sized onion, 1 to 2 green chillies and 1/2 inch ginger and some coriander leaves.
- Also take 8 to 10 curry leaves, 10 to 12 cashews, 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal.
roasting rava
- Heat a pan or kadai first. Add 1 cup rava or cream of wheat.
- Begin to roast the rava. Stir often while roasting the rava.
- The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. Don't brown the rava.
- Switch off the flame and then add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside.
making upma
- In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil. add 1 tsp mustard seeds.
- When you hear the crackling sound of mustard seeds, it means they are getting fried.
- Now add the 1/2 tsp cumin seeds along with 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal.
- Fry till they begin to brown a bit
- Immediately then add cashews and begin to fry. By the time, the cashews get golden the dals would also get golden.
- Now add the finely chopped onions. Saute the onions till they become translucent.
- Then add the chopped green chilly, ginger, curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
- Then add 2.5 cups water to this mixture. Add salt as required.
- Then add sugar. Sugar is optional and you can skip it. We prefer a slight sweet taste in the upma and hence we add it. Stir well.
- On a medium to high flame, heat the water and let it come to a to a rolling boiling.
adding rava for upma
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, lower the flame to its lowest. Then add the rava in 4 to 5 batches with a spoon.
- Once you add the rava, stir immediately. Then add the next batch of rava. Stir again.
- This way keep on adding and stirring the rava up to the last batch.
- Quickly stir and mix well. The rava grains absorb water and thus swell and get cooked.
- Cover and allow the rava upma to steam for 2 minutes on the low flame.
- Then switch off the flame. Here the rava is cooked and the upma is ready.
- Lastly add about 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Stir well.
- Serve upma with coconut chutney or lime slices or lime pickle.
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Awesome recipe…
thank you.
Peas & carrots, thinly sliced one small potato can also be added to this recipe. Garnish with grated coconut.
I made this today and my family loved it. Since my inlaws can’t have chilli and husband and I love spicy after removing the non spicy portion I fried some chillies in lil oil and added to the upma and we enjoyed the spicy version while inlaws enjoyed the original version. Thank for your recipes
thank you nausheen for the review and rating on upma recipe. thanks also for the chilli tip. it will help readers too. welcome and happy cooking.
Made upma for the first time and it turned perfect with this recipe!!!
thank you rashmi for this super feedback. happy cooking.
Hey Dassana
Loving the new look site. Just wanted to say thank you for all your perfect recipes. I have been visiting your site and using your recipes since 2011 and they never fail me! Love this upma recipe and haven’t made in a long time – will enjoy it today!
Thankyou for this super recipe…I have been making upma for so long but today after trying your method I realised I never made it that tasty and so fast????????
I have been following your recipies for almost 4 yrs now.. and I’ve never missed the mark. Thanks for sharing these recipes. And the Upma was delicious.
thank you loreta. glad to read your feedback on the recipes and also on the upma recipe. happy cooking.
Very useful guidance
Thank you for sharing. Made for a perfect Sunday breakfast!! 🙂
Welcome Mischelle
This was a success! Thank you so much. My older daughter who pretty much hates Upma grudgingly said it was okay 🙂 My younger one loved it!
thanks tannaz for sharing this. glad that your kids liked the recipe. happy cooking.
I hail from north India and never had upma at home. I absolutely loved upma whenever we ate outside. We tried many recipes but it never quite matched the ones at restaurants. Thanks for this recipe. Just two questions: can we cook in the same way if we add veggies like carrots, peas,etc. The amount of water is o.k. or do we need to add twice the amount of water as suji.
yes cook in the same way, if you add vegetables. yes the amount of water is fine. for a very smooth texture in upma, you can add 3 cups water for 1 cup of fine rava. add the vegetables once the ginger, green chillies and curry leaves are sauteed. after adding vegetables saute them for a minute. then add the water and bring to a boil. you can also cover the pan while cooking vegetables. make sure to finely chop the carrots or beans.
Dear Dassana,
Greetings from Bahrain♥️
I’m a good blogger myself and come from a family of foodies both maternal and paternal. We are hard core meat eaters but today I thought I’ll try something that’s 100% Vegetarian (except the ghee of course ????) and my husband just loved it. There was a perfect balance of salt spice and sweetness. I’m gonna start following most of your recipes going forward cz they are all foolproof unlike most recipes you come across. Keep up the good work hun!
Love!
thank you nisha. first of all i wish you all the best in food blogging. it was nice to read your feedback on upma recipe and i am glad that your family liked it. thanks again. sure do try the recipe and i hope you like them.
It was awesome …today for the first time i cooked upma n was delicious as my mom said… Tqsm for the reciepe
thats nice to know and thanks for sharing. happy cooking.
I never ever got my upma right till I followed this recipe.The step by step pictures with detailed explanation is of great help.My husband just loved it and now even I have become a great fan of this dish.(I always hated upma).It tastes just awesome with a little topping of ghee.
that is nice to know winnie. thanks for sharing this honest feedback and the rating as well. yes a bit of ghee tastes good.
any recipe if made well can be liked and loved even by people who do not like it. sometimes we do not have good memories with food when it is not made correctly and we avoid these dishes. eg i never liked the thai curries that is served in restaurants. it is too sweet for my taste. but once i made it home many years back and i have been making them often. the homemade ones taste exactly like the way a thai curry should authentically taste.
Hi Dassana. Tasty Upma recipe. Made this today and everyone in my family liked it. The pictures with details are really helpful and easy. Thanks for sharing.
thanks for the feedback saumya and rating as well. happy cooking.
Can we add peanuts????
yes, you can add peanuts. but fry or roast the peanuts separately and then add. if you add with the onions, the peanuts will not get cooked properly. also add the peanuts once the upma is cooked so that they don’t become soft and have their crunch.
Hi….I just made this recipe… turned out so nice…. thanks so much….
Easy to follow.
Great tasty, very nutritious !!
thanks for the feedback and review.
I was alone at home.
I tried it. My first attempt was tasty, healthy..
Thank to you.
I earned a good cooking confidence now.
Achievement for me.
Simple explanation, easy to refer.
thanks ratnajit. glad to know. i have replied to your earlier comment as well.
This is a fantastic recipe. Never before has Upma tasted so awesome!! Thank you so much for this.
Welcome Dr. Himangi. Glad to know that you liked this upma recipe.
Dear Dassana
I tried this recipes and turned out awesome.
I have prepared Upma several time before but it never taste as per expectation.
But your recipe has made the dish finger licking.
Thanks
Welcome Namita. Glad to know that you liked the upma recipe posted here. do try some more recipes.
hi – v nice recipe – but i used half the quantity of rave (1 bowl equal to 125 grams) – if i have used 250 gems, i’m afraid it wouldn’t have turned out so nice – what do you think? thanks
vini, the rava mentioned here is not 250 grams. it is 1 cup. 1 cup rava weighs about 165 grams. the measuring cup used is 250 ml cup. now any ingredient added in this cup will weigh differently depending on its density. so 1 cup of rice weighs 200 grams, 1 cup of whole wheat flour weighs 120 grams. hope this helps.