Upma Recipe - Semolina Breakfast Recipe

Upma is a South Indian breakfast recipe. Wherever you visit a South Indian restaurant, this recipe will be present on their menu. Though it is not as favorite as Idli or Dosa. If customers order Upma, they mostly pair it with some additional dish like Vada, Pesarattu, Sada Dosa, etc.

Upma is much easier to prepare than most other recipes. That is why I favor Upma on most occasions. Besides, you can add some healthy vegetables or nuts and seeds to it while preparing.

 

And you can prepare multiple varieties with unique tastes. I may list them later. At present, I am concerned with a normal type of this recipe which can be prepared by any layman. In the above image, some pieces of curry leaves and length-wise sliced chili are placed for image purposes. 

So, here is a very easy-to-prepare breakfast dish with minimum ingredients.

Ingredients Required for Normal Upma

• Semolina 1 Cup
• Onions 2 to 3 onions
• Ginger one small piece
• Green chilies 1 or 2
• Mustard Seeds 1/2 spoon
• Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
• Split Black Gram (Urad white) One Spoon
• Curry leaves
• Salt & Water

Upma Preparation Tips

• Keep all ingredients ready at hand.
• Cut small pieces of onions, ginger, and green chili (onions are for taste & flavor, and ginger and green chilies are for both spicy touch and taste).
• Measure  a cup of semolina and keep it by the side
• Keep 3 cups of water ready
• Now, light the stove and place your cooking pan on flame. Add 2 spoonfuls of oil to it.
• When the oil gets hot, put the onion pieces and fry to a hue of brown color
• Now add ginger and chili pieces. Turning over the ingredients briskly, add the ingredients of urad gram, mustard seeds, and cumin. Keep moving your hand briskly.
• When you hear the splitting sound, add the curry leaves and then the 3 cups of water into it.
• Add salt to taste and let the water boil (you may cover it with a lid for quick boiling or leave it as it is)
• When the water is fully boiling with jumping bubbles, keep pouring in the semolina with one hand while mixing it briskly with the other hand. Brisk action is required to prevent lump formations.
• After it is quite mixed, you may top it with a spoon of oil or ghee for better texture.
• Turn off the stove immediately after mixing but before adding the topping. 
• Place a lid on it and relax.

Now, after 5 minutes, your Upma is ready for serve.

One cup of Semolina serves 3 to 4 people depending upon the quantity you may like to serve.

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Breakfast Recipes: Idli With Chutney

Idli is a very healthy breakfast item for your stomach. Eating Idli with chili-spice powder or a light Chutney is a good habit instead of consuming it with a Sambar dish.

I hope that most of you know that Idli is prepared with the ingredients of Rice and Black Gram Dal (known as Urad Dal).

But, it is not the ordinary rice that we use for making idlis. Idli requires boiled rice that is sold in markets (at all provision stores in Southern India) to make it.

The chutney that I refer to here is prepared with fried Chana Dal and Coconut (either raw coconut or dried nut).

Idli Preparation Method

You need to keep things ready 10 to 12 hours before the actual preparation of this recipe. You need to soak the main ingredients for at least 6 to 8 hours before grinding them to paste. Then leave the mixture for at least 2 to 3 hours before preparing the idlis. Of course, you need the Idli Cooker (the idli frame and its container) for preparing the idlis. I am explaining this process, step-by-step, in full detail in the following sections.

Ingredients for Idli Recipe

• 250 grams of Idli rava (roughly ground particles of Boiled Rice). The rice is broken in the flour mills to obtain medium-sized refined particles. 
• 100 grams of split black gram known as urad dal (The split lentil is white in color)
• salt one tea-spoonful
• water for soaking and grinding

Step-By-Step Preparation Instructions

1. Soak the lentils in a bowl filled with water for 8 hours.
2. Remove the soaked lentils from water and put in the grinding jar. Now, grind carefully adding some water each time till it gets ground into a smooth paste.
3. Now, remove the paste from the jar into a large bowl.
4. Mix the idli rava into it along with the salt and some water to make it a soft paste. It should not get diluted.
5. Leave the mixture for some time so that the contents blend thoroughly.
6. Now, get ready the idli cooker with its plates.
7. Apply ghee or any refined cooking oil to the plates so that the cooked idli does not stick to the plates and could be removed without damaging its round shape. (Apply only a bit of oil with your fingers to the plates)
8. Now take the empty cooker and add some water into it for the purpose of cooking idlis with the steam generated from it. Take care that the water level does not touch the idli plates frame when you put the frame in it.
9. Pour the idli mix with a ladle into the oil-applied-plates to their levels (taking care that it does not spill out when fixing the plates to the frame).
10. Now, place the filled frame into the cooker. Light the stove and put the cooker on the flame. Close it with the lid.
11. Within a few minutes, the idlis will be cooked and you will listen to the whistles coming. Wait for 3, or 4 whistles so that it gets perfectly cooked.
12. Now put off the flame and leave it to cool for some time. After cooling, you can remove the plates and separate the idlis from the plates carefully with your fingers.
13. You can serve them instantly to the members along with some side-dish like chutney, spice powder, or the soup known as Sambar.
    

Idli Chutney 

Ingredients for Chutney

1. Fried Chana Dal (Fried chick pigeon peas) 100 grams
2. Coconut (normal or dry nut) 50 grams
3. Green chili 3 nos.
4. Ginger (a small piece) for taste
5. Salt 1/2 spoon (or as you prefer it)
6. Top-Up ingredients (like mustard seeds, cumin, hing, a bit oil)

Step-By-Step Preparation Tips for Idli Chutney

1. Cut the coconut into small pieces for easy grinding. Cut green chilis also.
2. Now, put the ingredients from no.1 to no.5 into your grinding jar.
3. Grind them adding water little by little, in stages, as per the requirement. You can add a little curd also if you prefer to get some good taste. After grinding, the chutney should become soft and in a thick liquid form.
4. Now, remove the chutney into any bowl and top-up it by frying the topping ingredients in a small frying pan.
5. Now you can serve the chutney with a tablespoon along with the idlis to your members.

Broken Wheat Recipe: Upma | Dalia Recipe

Broken-Wheat Upma

Broken Wheat recipe can be used as a whole food item or as a breakfast recipe. Many people all over India prepare this dish because of its healthy nutritional qualities. It is one of the many varieties of Upma recipes that are popular all over India and the world. It is widely referred to as 'Dalia Recipe' by most North Indians.

Upma is best for breakfast. It is very easy to prepare and requires less involvement. It can also be used as a snack item in the evening and is most popular in Southern India. It is found in almost all the hotels, restaurants, and tiffin-centers located in even the smallest lanes of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. It is available early in the morning for breakfast or in the evenings as a snack item at some places.

Upma is of many varieties and is made up of either wheat or rice granules. It is a savory recipe using spices and salt. The quality and size of the ingredients vary according to the likes and habits of the people.

But for all purposes, I suggest using medium-sized granulated broken wheat for preparing this Upma recipe. It is rich in fiber and is good for your body as it effectively clears your colon.

I provided the nutritional facts for one cup of cooked broken-wheat upma at the bottom of this post for your information.

Upma Preparation Styles and Time Taken

I prepare Upma in a simple manner using only the basic ingredients necessary for this broken wheat recipe.

I don't add any vegetables or other extra ingredients to my dish. However, you can add some green vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, or other ingredients according to your preference if you want to enhance the flavor and appearance. This depends on the time and effort you have available for slicing the ingredients.

Preparation Time

Preparation Time: 05 minutes

Cook Time:           10 minutes

Total Time:            15 minutes

100 grams upma serves two people.

Ingredients for Wheat Upma

• 100 grams or 1 cup broken wheat, medium granules
• 3 cups water, for boiling before adding the broken wheat
• one green chili (medium), chopped into small pieces
• ginger  a small piece, chopped into small pieces
• a small quantum of mustard seeds and cumin for frying at the start
• coriander leaves
• salt
• half a tablespoon cooking oil, for frying the ingredients

Step-By-Step Preparation of Upma

1. First, keep ready all the above-mentioned ingredients within reach. Cut the chili and ginger into small, tiny pieces and keep ready.
2. Place the deep cooking pan on the flame. Add half-a- tablespoon or two small spoons of cooking oil into it and allow it to heat.
3. Now, add the mustard seeds, cumin, chili and ginger pieces and coriander leaves to it and fry till a splitting sound comes.
4. Then, pour the water of 3 cups into it and add salt. Allow the water to boil.
5. After the water gets boiling, add the broken wheat ingredient to it, mix with the spatula and allow it to cook. You need not place a lid on it. Otherwise, it may come up with intense pressure of steam and spill out during the process.
6. Mix the recipe two or three times during cooking. It will get cooked within 10 minutes. When the water dries up, place the lid and turn off the flame.
7. Allow the recipe to set for 2 minutes and then, serve hot.
8. If you wanted to add vegetables to the recipe, you should add the minutely cut pieces while frying the mustard seeds and other ingredients and let them fry for a minute or two before adding the water.

In the below video, I prepared the Recipe by adding only the main ingredients that are essential as mentioned in the Ingredient Requirement.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1
Calories	180
Calories from Fat	27
% Daily Value *
Fat 3 g	5%
Saturated fat 1 g	5%
Unsaturated fat 2 g
Carbohydrates 18 g	6%
Sugar 0 g
Fiber 1 g	4%
Protein 2 g	4%
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 1 mg
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. So your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Health Benefits of Broken Wheat Recipe

• This variety of Upma recipe is good for health as it contains rich fiber quantity.
• The fiber content is very helpful to your digestion process as it cleanses your colon more efficiently and maintains a clean, unclogged colon.
• The calories or energy that you get from this recipe are quite substantial and lasts for much time even though it is slightly less than other refined varieties of the broken wheat because of their refined contents.
• More fiber means more time for digestion and so you need not feel the necessity of eating frequently. You can keep working for long hours by eating this breakfast recipe in the mornings.
• Even though the fat quantity is more, it gets nullified due to the ample fiber content.