Dry-roasted semolina cooked into a soft, savory porridge with a tempering of mustard seeds, lentils, curry leaves, and vegetables. A staple South Indian breakfast, fluffy and lightly spiced.
Upma is a savoury breakfast porridge of the Indian subcontinent, especially the South — dry-roasted semolina cooked thick with mustard seed, curry leaf and vegetables. Quick to make and endlessly varied, it starts the day across the region.
Soft, warm, and fluffy with a faint nuttiness from toasted semolina, studded with crisp lentils and sweet vegetables. Curry leaves and mustard give a fragrant savory base, lifted by a squeeze of lemon. Comforting and homey, never heavy.
Dry-roasting the semolina dehydrates and lightly toasts the starch so grains stay separate and absorb water evenly without going gummy. Adding hot water gradually while stirring hydrates each granule into a soft, lump-free porridge.
Variations
Rava upma, vermicelli upma (semiya), tomato upma, bread upma
On the Palate
Where Upma sits in the Indian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 16 min
Dry-roast semolina in a pan over medium heat until aromatic and lightly colored, then set aside.
Watch outDry-roast the semolina until it smells nutty and just turns pale gold, no darker — that toast is what keeps the grains fluffy and separate instead of gummy.
- 23 min
Heat oil or ghee and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal.
- 32 min
Add curry leaves, green chili, and ginger and fry briefly.
- 44 min
Saute chopped onion and mixed vegetables until softened.
- 52 min
Pour in hot water with salt and bring to a boil.
- 63 min
Lower the heat and stream in the roasted semolina while stirring to avoid lumps.
Watch outStream the semolina into the boiling water in a thin trickle while stirring — rain it in slowly or it clumps the instant it hits the water.
- 75 min
Cover and cook until the semolina absorbs the water and turns fluffy.
Watch outCover and steam until it drinks up all the water and turns fluffy — no wet pooling left at the bottom.
- 82 min
Fluff with a fork, finish with lemon and coriander, and serve hot.
