Fluffy semolina tossed with curry leaves, ginger and quick vegetables; a mild, gently spiced South Indian breakfast that suits almost every constitution.
Breakfast · 10 min prep · 15 min cook · serves 3 Newly added
Ingredients
- 1 cup rava (semolina) , coarse
- 2 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 8 curry leaves , fresh
- 1 tsp ginger (fresh) , grated
- 1 green chili , optional, slit
- 1 carrot , diced small
- ¼ cup peas (green)
- 2½ cups water
- to taste rock salt
- 1 tsp lemon , juice
- 2 tbsp coconut (fresh grated) , to garnish
Preparation
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Dry-roast the rava in a pan over medium heat until it is warm to the touch and smells lightly toasted; set aside.
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Heat the ghee, pop the mustard seeds, then add cumin, curry leaves, ginger and the optional chili.
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Add the diced carrot and peas with a splash of water; cook 3–4 minutes until just tender.
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Pour in the water with salt and bring to a rolling boil, then lower the heat.
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Rain the roasted rava in slowly with one hand while stirring constantly with the other, so no lumps form.
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Cover and cook on the lowest heat 3–4 minutes; fluff, then finish with lemon juice and coconut.
In the tradition
Upma belongs to the everyday South Indian satvik kitchen, temple kitchens across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka serve versions of it precisely because it is mild, fresh and quick. The constant stirring at the end is not just technique: it “cooks in” the water, leaving the semolina light rather than paste-like, which keeps the dish easy on the digestion.
Sources & further reading
- Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya , Vāgbhaṭa (Sūtrasthāna 6, on the digestibility of properly prepared grains)
- Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine , David Frawley
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.