UPMA or THICK SEMOLINA PORRIDGE

UPMA or THICK SEMOLINA PORRIDGE: Upma is one of the simplest dishes you can find on the south Indian breakfast menu. As a child I used to hate it. I had no idea how to make an upma even after my marriage. Then one day, I bought a roasted rava or semolina pack. On the back of it was mentioned the method of making the upma. I tried it and it was a success. I swear it tasted better than my mother’s upma. Well the difference was the addition of ghee or clarified butter. It was this ingredient that made all the difference. From that day, both my husband and I are fans of upma.

The way of having upma also differs from house to house. Some have with bananas or plantains. Some like to have it with just sugar. Some like to have a combination of both. Some like to eat it as such. But I love to have it with white coconut chutney. I swear I love this combination. Anyone who has tried that combination will surely love it.

I am posting the traditional upma recipe but you may add veggies like carrot and French beans to it.

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted Semolina – 1 to 1 ¼  cup

Water – 2 cups

Ginger – ½ “ piece

Dried red chilli – 2

Green chilli – 2

Red Onion – 1

Mustard seeds – 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Ghee or clarified butter – ½ to 1 tablespoon

 METHOD:

Clean and slice the onions. Clean and cut other veggies like carrot and beans (which are optional). Slit the green chilli into two.

Take a heavy bottomed pan. Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds along with dried red chillies. Add ginger and sauté till it turns light brown. Add the onions and green chilli and sweat them. Add salt. Add other veggies along with the onion.

When the green chilli turns translucent, add curry leaves and ghee along with water. When the water boils and bubbles up nicely add the semolina. You need to add the semolina and stir at the same time. This ensures that no lumps will be formed and it gets cooked evenly.  Keep stirring till the semolina gets cooked and becomes dry. This will take hardly a minute or two. Turn off the stove and serve!

NB: Always add salt before you add semolina. The salt should be on a higher side before you put the semolina so that once you cook with the semolina it gets the correct taste. If you put salt after you cook it, it won’t get uniformly distributed.