Rawa Upma – the Indian Semolina based breakfast , primarily coming from southern part of India, is a light and healthy start to your day. Rawa or semolina is also known as Sooji in parts of India.It’s a savory porridge that is both nutritious and light, typically cooked with a mixture of Indian spices, vegetables, and sometimes nuts for added texture and flavor.This recipe was shared by Leela Hegde. So a big thanks to her!
About the dish
Rawa Upma is made at least once a week in our household. My kid loves it and there are further variants of it like Tomato Rawa Upma, Sev Upma etc which I will share in future. This is one of the most common south Indian recipes next to Idli and Dosa.
The best thing about this recipe is its simplicity. You cook it simple and quick. Also you can use any vegetables that you wish as per your choice! As this vegetarian dish has no dairy products whatsoever it is also perfect for vegan lovers!
My memories with Rawa Upma
With my south Indian origins this food was the part of my staple diet always, however what makes this a special food for me , is that it is one of the first meals I learnt to cook during my “consultant” stint. Traveling and staying away from home this was food that was easy to make for a bachelor while relishing a taste of home! This and dal & rice 😉 So I can safely say this is one of the those dishes which I can even cook in my sleep 😀
Serving & Pairing
Rawa Upma is best eaten hot with a generous topping of grated coconut. There are other pairing options as well for e.g. having an Indian coconut chutney as the side dish. Or a dash of yummy spicy and sour Indian pickle.
Alternative Ingredients
- You can also replace the semolina with other ingredients like sev, oats, millets etc to have other variations of this wonderful recipe.
- When it comes to veggies, you are the boss! You can use any vegetables that want, totally up to you!
Storage Options
Important is to add the coconut topping at the end for better storage. If stored without coconut it can be in the fridge for up to 5 days. Although you can reheat it in Microwave, I would highly recommend to take only the portion you need and heat it on a pan with some water to restore the soft and moist texture of upma!
Rawa Upma
A savory south Indian porridge for a healthy start to the day
8
servings30
minutes20
minutes194.63
kcalIngredients
1 cup Semolina
1 medium Onion
1 medium Tomato
0.5 nos Green Capsicum
1 small Potato
0.5 cup Corn
0.5 cup Peas
1 cup Grated Coconut
0.5 inch Ginger
1 nos Green Chili
10 nos Curry Leaves
1 nos Lemon
1 tbsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
2 tbsp Oil
1 lt Water
Directions
- Preparation
- Boil potato & peel it
- Chop onion, capsicum, chili and boiled potato
- Mince the ginger
- Boil 1L hot water
- Cooking
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Once hot, add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves, chili, ginger and turmeric and fry for 30 secs
- Now add semolina and roast for some minutes. Stop when you see the semolina browning a little
Note : In case you buy pre-roasted semolina, then you just have to roast it for 1 min or so. - Once the semolina is roasted and starts turning brownish, add all the chopped vegetables
- Mix well and cook for some time
- Add salt and sugar & mix
- Now add boiling water to the vessel till all the semolina mix is covered in water
- Cover and cook the upma mix for 5-7 minutes till no water is left
Note : If you like the upma to be wet, then leave stop cooking when some water is left - Now add lemon juice and mix!
- Serving
- Serve upma hot with grated coconut
Equipment
- Water Heater
- Cooking pan
Recipe Video
Notes
- Nutritional values are an indication based on ingredients. Actual nutrition may vary depending on certain factors
Nutrition Facts
- Total number of serves: 8
- Calories: 194.63kcal
- Carbohydrates: 28.45g
- Protein: 5.10g
- Fat: 7.53g
