Upma - Indian Semolina Porridge
Upma is a South Indian porridge, most often made with semolina and eaten for a satisfying. It's soft and delicate, with subtle flavors imparted by whole spices, curry leaves, onions, and ginger.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sooji/rava/semolina
- 3 tbsp raw peanuts
- 10-12 raw cashews
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 7-8 curry leaves
- pinch of hing (asafetida)
- 2 green chilis, minced
- ½ inch ginger, minced
- ¼ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup mixed veggies, frozen or fresh (peas, carrots, and green beans, all cut to the same size)
- 2½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- In a nonstick pan, dry roast semolina on medium-low heat until crunchy and fragrant, but before brown. Aim for 4-5 minutes. Let it cool.
- In the same pan, toast peanuts and cashews until golden and crunchy. Set aside.
- Heat oil in the pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When they start sputtering, add cumin seeds. Stir for 30 seconds to a minute. Add urad dal, chana dal, and a pinch of hing. Stir for a minute.
- Add green chilis and ginger. Cook until the raw ginger smell dissipates. Add curry leaves and let them sputter. Add onions and cook until translucent.
- Add veggies and cook for a few minutes until they are tender. Add water and salt, and bring to a rolling boil.
- Over low heat, pour semolina slowly into the water and stir the semolina in until it forms a porridge. This should take 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and the nuts. Serve with chutney if you want!