Masala upma recipe is a delicious savory porridge like breakfast made using semolina flour, which is perfect for an easy Indian style breakfast or evening snack or simple dinner!
Sooji upma is a South Indian breakfast dish (you can enjoy this for dinner or lunch as well) which is made using semolina flour or sooji flour also known as rava flour in South India.
It is made of durum wheat flour and can be used in a variety of dishes to make easy and quick recipes, especially many breakfast items and snacks including desserts are made using this sooji semolina flour, which is slightly course in texture.
More easy recipes using semolina/sooji rava flour:
semolina porridge recipe for breakfast
semolina pancakes recipe for breakfast (Moroccan recipe)
Indian dessert recipe – rava laddoo recipe using semolina flour
There are many ways you can prepare upma, even using other grains.
But this masala upma recipe is quite unique and special, as we also add garam masala powder to this upma.
You can make this more spicy if you wish by adding chopped green or red chilies, but otherwise you can keep the spice level medium or mild by skipping the chilies or even reducing the amount of red chili powder.
More Pictures From The Preparation Of Masala Upma
The masala upma recipe is very flexible and you can easily tweak it according to your preferences. You can make masala upma following this easy masala upma recipe for savory breakfast, simple and easy lunch or dinner.
I have used only onions and potatoes in this savory masala upma recipe, but you can add more cooked vegetables if you wish.
Some recipes call for more water to cook the upma, but I prefer less water to cook sooji upma.
The difference is, if you use more water, the dish will be more sticky in texture, so it is actually a matter of preference what kind of texture you want for the upma.
So here is the easy and delicious masala upma recipe.
How To Make Masala Upma?
We use the following ingredients to make easy, delicious masala upma.
ingredients to make masala upma
1 cup sooji/semolina flour
1 cup water for cooking sooji semolina flour
½ cup water (for cooking potatoes)
1 medium sized onion
2 medium sized potatoes
2 tablespoons cashew nuts or peanuts
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder
salt as needed
2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 to 3 tablespoons (or any other oil)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or mustard seeds
1 string curry leaves a few optional
Step by step instructions
Peel the skin and chop the onion finely, keep aside.
Peel the potatoes and chop in small pieces, keep separately from onions.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds are lightly fried, add the curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
Add the sliced onion and start sauteing.
Add salt and you can saute the onion till the slices are transparent and begins to brown ( no need to caramelize).
You ca use medium heat but make sure you stir occasionally and keep watching so the onions won’t get burnt at the bottom of the pan.
Once the onions are done, add the sliced potatoes and saute for another 1 minute.
Add the ½ cup of water just enough to cook the potatoes and add enough salt, keep in high heat and wait for the mixture to boil.
As the mixture starts boiling, mix everything well and close the pan and cook in low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and soft.
(If needed you may add little more water to cook).
After 8 to 10 minutes, check if the potatoes are cooked and if all water is absorbed.
Add the spices – turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder to the cooked onion potato mixture and heat in low heat for another 1 minute so everything will blend nicely.
Now add the sooji semolina flour to another pan and dry roast the flour in low heat for about 3 minutes.
Make sure you keep stirring to avoid burning of the semolina flour. Keep the dry roasted sooji flour aside.
If you are using roasted semolina flour, you don’t have to roast it again.
Now add the 2 cups of water to the pan with onion potato masala mixture and bring it to a boil.
As the mixture starts boiling, immediately transfer the roasted sooji flour to the same pan with onion potato mixture, mix well and close the pan.
Reduce the heat to low heat and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes (don’t cook more as the water will be absorbed and the dish will get burnt, also it is important to keep the heat in low to avoid burning).
After 2 minutes of cooking, switch off the stove and immediately transfer the pan from the stove and keep away from heat.
Now open the pan, gently mix everything well and your masala upma is ready to serve!
Notes: Enjoy the masala upma as it is as this is very delicious and really don’t need any side dishes.
But you can always enjoy upma with chutneys or any vegetable curry as you wish!
As we are only using just enough water to cook the upma, you really need to be fast enough to stop cooking by 2 minutes and make sure you are cooking in low heat, or else there is a chance of burning the dish at the bottom.
Also you need to transfer the dish immediately from the hot stove to avoid burning.
Below you can get the recipe for masala sooji upma in detail.
Masala Upma – Indian Sooji Upma With Semolina & Spices
Ingredients
- 1 cup sooji/semolina flour
- 1 cup water for cooking sooji semolina flour
- ½ cup water (for cooking potatoes)
- 1 medium sized onion
- 2 medium sized potatoes
- 2 tablespoons cashew nuts or peanuts
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- salt as needed
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 to 3 tablespoons (or any other oil)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or mustard seeds
- 1 string curry leaves a few optional
Instructions
- Peel the skin and chop the onion finely, keep aside.
- Peel the potatoes and chop in small pieces, keep separately from onions.
- Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds are lightly fried, add the curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
- Add the sliced onion and start sauteing.
- Add salt and you can saute the onion till the slices are transparent and begins to brown ( no need to caramelize). You ca use medium heat but make sure you stir occasionally and keep watching so the onions won’t get burnt at the bottom of the pan.
- Once the onions are done, add the sliced potatoes and saute for another 1 minute.
- Add the ½ cup of water just enough to cook the potatoes and add enough salt, keep in high heat and wait for the mixture to boil.
- As the mixture starts boiling, mix everything well and close the pan and cook in low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and soft. (If needed you may add little more water to cook).
- After 8 to 10 minutes, check if the potatoes are cooked and if all water is absorbed.
- Add the spices – turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder to the cooked onion potato mixture and heat in low heat for another 1 minute so everything will blend nicely.
- Now add the sooji semolina flour to another pan and dry roast the flour in low heat for about 3 minutes.
- Make sure you keep stirring to avoid burning of the semolina flour. Keep the dry roasted sooji flour aside. If you are using roasted semolina flour, you don’t have to roast it again.
- Now add the 2 cups of water to the pan with onion potato masala mixture and bring it to a boil.
- As the mixture starts boiling, immediately transfer the roasted sooji flour to the same pan with onion potato mixture, mix well and close the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low heat and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes (don’t cook more as the water will be absorbed and the dish will get burnt, also it is important to keep the heat in low to avoid burning).
- After 2 minutes of cooking, switch off the stove and immediately transfer the pan from the stove and keep away from heat.
- Now open the pan, gently mix everything well and your masala upma is ready to serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Hope you found this post on masala upma with semolina flour or sooji rava helpful in making easy and delicious masala upma at home.
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