A foolproof recipe for rava upma, a popular, one-pot south Indian breakfast dish made with sooji or semolina, herbs, spices and veggies. Ready in under 30 minutes. A vegan, soy-free recipe, can be nut-free.
Rava Upma is something we ate often for breakfast or a snack in my parents' home, and it features with some regularity now in my kitchen when I'm looking to make a quick and nutritious dish that cooks up in under 30 minutes and pleases everyone.
This is one of those recipes that, albeit south Indian in origin, has perhaps infiltrated every Indian household, no matter where in India it is, because it's just that good. If you live outside India, you've likely encountered it on the menu of a south Indian restaurant.
An upma is also perhaps the first dish I actually learned to cook, because it's that simple. All you need to do is roast the rava or sooji or semolina in a wok until it's fragrant and very lightly browned, then add in some herbs, spices and, if you want, veggies. In fact, an upma is almost foolproof and so long as you follow some basic instructions you can make sure yours turns out fluffy and delicious.
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What we love about upma
- It's super easy
- It's quick. All you need is between 20 to 30 minutes and there's no major prep work or do-ahead stuff.
- It's a one-pot dish. A wok is all you need, although a large skillet will do.
- It's everyone-approved: kids, adults, picky eaters will all love it, especially when you drizzle on some coconut chutney.
- It's healthy. It's just wheat mixed up with herbs, spices and veggies and a minimum of oil. A dry, fluffy, savory pudding, if you will.
- It's organically vegan. Sure, there may be some who likely start out their upma with ghee, but no one I knew did, because it isn't needed. This is one of those Indian dishes that just happens to be vegan, and that's just wonderful.
How to make the best upma
- Begin by roasting your sooji or rava in a dry skillet or wok. While some cooks skip this step, I really like it because it makes the sooji nice and toasty and it just tastes better. You want to keep a close eye on the skillet and roast the sooji over medium heat. Stir frequently. At first it may look like nothing's happening for a bit, but once the sooji reaches a certain temperature it will start to brown quite fast, and you don't want it to brown too much. Just a couple of shades darker is good. When it reaches that point, remove the sooji to a dish and set aside.
- In the same wok, you'll add vegetable oil, just about a teaspoon, and add to it some mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to sputter, stir in the onions, green chili peppers, curry leaves, turmeric and grated ginger. At this point you can also add a handful of chopped cashew nuts, if you like. Saute the onions until they're translucent, you don't need them to brown. At this point you can also add quick-cooking veggies, like grated carrots, finely chopped bell peppers, zucchini or green peas. Saute them for a couple of minutes.
- Add water to the wok. When you make upma, you will always need sooji and water in a 1:2 ratio. So if you have a cup of upma, you need to add two cups of water. Add enough salt to make sure that the water is saltier than you'd like your upma to be.
- I like adding tomatoes to my upma, but I add them only after I add the water because I don't like the tomatoes to get all mushy and pureed.
- Once the water comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat to the lowest point. Now this is the only place where you really need to be careful to make sure your upma turns out fluffy and not lumpy, so pay attention.
- As soon as the water boils, add in the roasted sooji and then, without a second's delay, use a ladle or a whisk to begin stirring the sooji into the water. The sooji is thirsty and it will glug up the water rapidly, so if you don't work fast you'll end up getting lumps of dry sooji in the upma and it won't be loose and fluffy. And once again, make sure you do this with the heat turned down to the lowest point.
- As soon as this is done, turn off the heat. Garnish your upma with cilantro, spritz on lemon juice, and serve it hot.
What to serve with upma
- A coconut chutney is all you need.
- You can also serve upma with sambar, a South Indian style dal.
More Indian vegan breakfast ideas
- Kande Pohe
- Aloo Paratha
- Moonglet, a vegan mung bean omelet
- Spicy Potatoes and "Eggs"
- Vegan Carrot Almond Pudding, naturally sweetened
- Sabudana Khichdi
Rava Upma Recipe
A foolproof recipe for rava upma, a popular, one-pot south Indian breakfast dish made with sooji or semolina, herbs, spices and veggies. Ready in under 30 minutes. A vegan, soy-free recipe, can be nut-free.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 178kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups sooji (rava, semolina)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 2 green chili peppers (like serrano or jalapeno. Deseed and use more or less per your taste)
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 tsp ginger (grated)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 4 cups water
- 2 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 2-4 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon and more wedges of lemon to serve
Instructions
- On a dry skillet, roast the sooji, stirring constantly, until it turns just a couple of shades darker and smells fragrant. Always roast on medium to medium-low heat because you don't want to burn it, and don't leave the stove unattended. The sooji should turn just a couple of shades darker and smell fragrant. Once it's roasted, remove to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the same skillet. Add the mustard and wait for the mustard seeds to sputter.
- Immediately add the curry leaves, green chillies and onions. Saute until the onions are soft but not brown. Add the ginger and stir in.
- Add any additional veggies at this point, if using. Add the turmeric and saute another minute.
- Add 4 cups water and salt it until it's saltier than you want the upma to be.
- Turn the heat to low and have a ladle or whisk ready.
- Pour the roasted rava into the skillet and immediately start stirring it into the water. You need to work fast at this stage, and again, make sure the heat is at the lowest point possible. You want every grain of the sooji to absorb water so the upma is nice and fluffy and not lumpy. If some lumps do form, press on them with the ladle and stir them into the rest of the upma. You can sprinkle on some water if needed.
- Turn off the heat immediately and mix in the cilantro, lemon juice, and coconut, if using. Serve in bowls with more wedges of lemon that you can spritz over the upma.
Nutrition
Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg
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Yum! Tried it this morning and loved it! Husband says it's a keeper! Thanks!!
This looks so good! I have a couple of questions: Can you recommend an alternative to curry leaves? I can't get them here. Also, in step 7, when you add the semolina in, are you just leaving it on the heat until the semolina absorbs the water? Since the semolina has been toasted, does it need to cook much at this point? Thanks ... this looks delicious and I can't wait to try it! 🙂
Hi Cyndi, yes, turn off the heat as soon as the semolina has absorbed the water. You can skip the curry leaves. Add a tablespoon or so of chopped cilantro instead at the stage when you'd add the curry leaves.
Thanks for the replies Vaishali! This will be the next dish I make from your blog. In the past mine has always been gooey and lumpy. It even sticks together like a big block as it cools. I too usually add salt to taste, but I appreciate that you posted the amount you use, because this is one of those dishes that's hard to adjust the salt after adding farina. So your suggestion will be really useful. Thanks for the great recipes! But I think what really makes your blog stand out is your flare for writing.
...and you can put the salt in after the water comes to a boil and before you add the sooji to the water.
Anonymous, It was not intentional-- thanks for pointing that out. I usually recommend that people just add salt to taste, but I personally might add about 2 tsp to a dish like this.
Was the salt intentionally left out? If not, how much do you use, and when do you put it in? Thanks! Love your blog.
Vaishali,
Upma looks wonderfully edible right off the web page 🙂 I am glad you posted it, it is easy to make and digest, what more to ask for right?
May be the quickest dinner or tiffin in every Indian household!
Looks colorful Vaishali!I love the dry upma and for some reason , I can never get that!
Thats very colourful,simple yet very delicious
We love upma - great idea to include red bell peppers. I like mine with a little buttermilk and lemon milk...umm healthy and satisfying!
I love reading your blog, because I get exposed to new things... this looks delicious!
You're so right about getting the proportions right - think we have all been there and had the pasty lumpy upma while we were experimenting....this one looks great with all the veggies and tomatoes!
Rava upma is one of those things that I've never been able to get right ... and I love it so much. Thanks for this recipe Vaishali ... will try this way too. 🙂
this is my favorite tea-time snack......love the colors
upma is probably one of my favorite indian breakfasts too (and veg sandwiches!). i have to go to the local indian grocer to get brown mustard seeds and curry leaves and of course rava
looks yum and colorful....i am not that fond of it...but including all these colorful veggies does make it appetizing.