Masala Upma is a spicy twist to traditional upma with lots of vegetables. Upma is a very common breakfast from south indian cuisine and is mostly served with Coconut Chutney. It is like a thick and savory porridge which is prepared from semolina. I use to enjoy regular onion upma with chutney for breakfast till I tried masala upma. The special ingredient of the recipe, Sambhar masala, gives this upma a new zing. Me and my little one loves vegetables so I don’t miss a chance of adding them whenever I can. It also makes it more healthy and tasty. You can use your choice of vegetables. This is a simple and quick breakfast recipe which can be relished with some tea or filter coffee on weekends.
Some people prefer their upma to be loose while some prefer it to be firm and fluffy. I always prefer firm and fluffy so my ratio of Semolina : Water is 1:2. But, if you want to make it little loose keep the ratio 1:3. Also adding warm or hot water instead of room temperature water makes a difference. You can also use chopped tomatoes in this recipe. I am not a fan of mushy tomatoes in upma so I omit them completely.
Masala Upma With Vegetables, Healthy and Nutritious Breakfast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarse semolina
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- 1 small or 1/4 cup potato peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup carrots peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup chopped french beans
- 1/4 cup green peas
- 1/4 cup onions finely chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts optional
- 1 tbsp sambhar powder
- 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a nonstick pan, dry roast sooji over medium flame. Once it starts turning light golden brown take it out in a bowl and let it cool.
- Dry roast peanuts in the same pan. Set it aside.
- In the same pan, heat up ghee or oil. Once its hot, add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, all the vegetables, sambhar masala, tamarind paste and salt to taste. Cover it and let it cook until vegetables are done. Do not over cook to make them mushy.
- Add roasted sooji to it and mix it thoroughly with vegetables. Let it get roasted in with vegetables for a minute to soak up all the flavors.
- Add warm or boiling water to it and keep stirring until the mixture thickens and dry out by soaking up all the liquid. Turn the flame to low, cover and cook it for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve it hot with Coconut chutney.
