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    Home > Indian Vegan Recipes > Tamil Recipes

    Aval Upma

    Posted: Oct 9, 2011 ยท Updated: Mar 30, 2022

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Aval upma is a simple, spicy, savory snack made with poha or flattened rice flakes, called "aval" in Tamil, along with peanuts, curry leaves, and other spices and seasonings. It makes a great coffeetime, or anytime, tiffin or snack.

    Photo of aval upma with peanuts, mustard seeds, potatoes and cilantro in a green bowl.

    Aval Upma is the Tamil cousin of Maharashtra's celebrated Kande Pohe, and it makes for some delicious tea-time tiffin (as South Indians call their snacks) or a hearty breakfast.

    The base of the Aval Upma is aval which is nothing but flattened rice flakes that cook up in no time at all (you can easily find these at Indian stores or online).

    In fact, it takes a lot less time to cook up this perfectly sumptuous dish than you'd honestly believe. Even better, it's an extremely healthy dish because you can add to it all kinds of veggies and peanuts.

    You can find brown rice aval in Indian supermarkets that cooks up in about the same time as the white rice version. I prefer the brown-rice aval, but the grocery store was out of it the last time I visited.

    Photo of aval or poha, flattened rice flakes, in an earthen bowl


    I kept my Aval Upma pretty simple by adding to it some red bliss potatoes and onions, but green peppers would be perfect in here, as would peas, zuccini, or even tomatoes.

    I have to run now, but not before sharing the recipe, of course. Hope everyone's enjoying the long weekend!

    More vegan tiffin recipes

    • Rava Upma
    • Rava Idli
    • Idli recipe
    • Brown Rice Dosa
    Photo of aval upma with peanuts, mustard seeds, potatoes and cilantro in a green bowl.

    Aval Upma

    Aval upma is a simple, spicy, savory snack made with poha or flattened rice flakes, called "aval" in Tamil, along with peanuts, curry leaves, and other spices and seasonings. It makes a great coffeetime, or anytime, tiffin or snack.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Aval Upma, Poha Upma
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 15 mins
    Total Time: 25 mins
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 237kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 2 cups aval (or poha or flattened rice flakes)
    • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
    • 2 dry red chili peppers
    • 15 curry leaves
    • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
    • 1 small onion , finely minced
    • 2 potatoes , skins scrubbed clean. Cut the potatoes into a small dice and then zap them in a microwave with 1 tablespoon water until the potatoes are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
    • ยผ cup peanuts
    • ยผ cup coconut milk (use coconut shreds if you'd rather)
    • 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, for garnish)
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • Salt to taste
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    Instructions

    • Place the aval in a large colander and wash under running water for a minute. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
    • Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and when they sputter, add the dry red chillies and curry leaves.
    • Add the onions and saute, stirring, until the onions begin to soften. Add the potatoes and stir to mix.
    • Add the peanuts and toss together for another two minutes. Add the coconut milk, mix, then add the drained aval and salt to taste.
    • Toss the aval and the vegetables together well and check for salt. Turn off the heat and add coriander leaves.
    • To serve, place in bowls and spritz with some lemon juice (in India, the aval is served with a little wedge of lemon on the side). Eat hot.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Potassium: 597mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1089IU | Vitamin C: 106mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 6mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. divya

      October 11, 2011 at 12:07 am

      look so yummy, just perfect.

      Reply
    2. Manasi

      October 10, 2011 at 7:16 pm

      I had heartd of this but I usually make 'kande pohe' at home, i should ry this!

      Reply
    3. Vaishali

      October 10, 2011 at 6:51 pm

      Richa, yeah, I like the nuts too for the higher protein content.'

      Kalyani, Sharmilee, Manju, Priya, thanks!

      Usha, the only thing most people go wrong with is soaking the aval, really. I just soak it first thing before I start on the rest of the recipe and it's perfect each time.

      Reply
    4. Usha

      October 10, 2011 at 2:07 pm

      Yum! I like this upma too. I make regular upma and the puffed rice upma. This beaten rice (aval) upma always fails me.

      Reply
    5. Priya

      October 10, 2011 at 9:29 am

      My fav upma anytime,super inviting..

      Reply
    6. Sharmilee! :)

      October 10, 2011 at 4:27 am

      Anytime comfort snack perfect with tea

      Reply
    7. Kalyani's Platter

      October 10, 2011 at 2:27 am

      upma looks delicious ........

      Reply
    8. Manju

      October 10, 2011 at 4:30 am

      love love love aval upma! I made Amma make some when she was here a few months ago ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    9. Richa

      October 09, 2011 at 11:24 pm

      the upma looks delicious..u should do like a breakfast/snack round up!... some days i am out of ideas for savory breakfast.. the white rice gives me a carb high unless i add enough nuts in it.. then it becomes nuts poha or upma.. rather than rice:)

      Richa @ Hobby And More Food Blog

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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