Upma is a delicious, hot dish that will warm your heart on a cold day. We've been having some cold days lately, so I made some upma recently to warm everyone's hearts. Turned out yummy, so I want to share my recipe with you. Although it never gets cold in Udupi, I call this "Udupi Upma" because when I make it, I like to toss in a teaspoon of Udupi sambar powder along with a smidgen of the most frequently used ingredient in all of Udupi cuisine, coconut.
2 c suji or farina cereal (such as Cream of Wheat)
1 c (200 g) unsalted butter
6 c chopped mixed vegies (your choice)
8 c whey (or water if you don't have whey)
2 t mustard seeds, dry popped
1/2 t hing
1 T cumin seeds
1 T chopped, seeded jalapeno or 1/4 t red pepper
1 T chopped fresh ginger or 1/2 t ginger powder
1 t methi (fenugreek) powder or seeds
1 t black pepper
20 or more curry leaves
1 t sambar powder (optional)
2 T powdered coconut (optional)
1 t turmeric
2 t coriander
1 slightly rounded T salt
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1 T lemon juice
A note before we start: you will need two pots and two spoons for this recipe. The spoon for stirring the grains should be wooden, if possible.
In a medium-large pot, dry-pop mustard seeds on low heat. Remove pot from heat before seeds are all popped.
In a separate pot, pour in whey (or water). Add mixed vegies, turmeric and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so that this mixture remains gently simmering while you cook the grains in the other pot.
After pot with mustard seeds has cooled a bit so that the butter doesn't burn, add butter. Melt the butter on low heat. As the butter is melting, add hing, cumin, black pepper, jalapeno or red pepper, ginger, methi, coriander and curry leaves. Add the suji (farina). Fry the suji in the butter and spices, stirring frequently (almost constantly--you want your grains to be an even color, so you have to keep turning them so they don't get too brown on the bottom) with a wooden spoon for about 30 minutes until the grains are loose and sound like "wet sand" when you stir them.
When your suji sounds like wet sand, now is the time to add the sambar powder and coconut, if you're going to. Fry for a couple more minutes. At this point, your grains are finished toasting, and your vegies should be soft. Keep an eye on your grains while you quickly check your vegies with a knife to make sure they are fork-tender.
Note: a lot of cooks turn off their flames under both pots at this time. I like to keep both pots going on a very low heat while I do the next step.
Pour a small amount of the boiling vegetable "soup" into the grains. Just as when you're cooking halavah, it will make quite a commotion and sputter all over the place, so be prepared. I usually have a lid handy to hold over the grain pot until it settles down a little. After it settles down, stir in that little bit of soup. After you have added a couple cups of liquid into the grains, it will stop sputtering when you add more. Now add a little more. After each addition of liquid, stir it thoroughly into the grains. After you have added the entire pot of "soup" into the grains, stir thoroughly and then stir in the lemon juice. Now cover. After about three minutes, remove the lid and stir your upma. Add 1/4 c of the chopped cilantro. Stir. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c of cilantro over the top...
...then offer to Lord Sri Krishna, who has so kindly given us all these wonderful ingredients.
Serving suggestion: this dish pairs well with Cold-Weather Karhi for a hearty winter breakfast or lunch. In Udupi, my friend Radha claims that upma is traditionally served with halavah, and she emphasized that both preparations should be served hot. She served us some homemade upma and halavah at her home recently, and I have to say that hot upma and hot halavah truly are a winning combination!
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| Udupi Upma |
2 c suji or farina cereal (such as Cream of Wheat)
1 c (200 g) unsalted butter
6 c chopped mixed vegies (your choice)
8 c whey (or water if you don't have whey)
2 t mustard seeds, dry popped
1/2 t hing
1 T cumin seeds
1 T chopped, seeded jalapeno or 1/4 t red pepper
1 T chopped fresh ginger or 1/2 t ginger powder
1 t methi (fenugreek) powder or seeds
1 t black pepper
20 or more curry leaves
1 t sambar powder (optional)
2 T powdered coconut (optional)
1 t turmeric
2 t coriander
1 slightly rounded T salt
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1 T lemon juice
A note before we start: you will need two pots and two spoons for this recipe. The spoon for stirring the grains should be wooden, if possible.
In a medium-large pot, dry-pop mustard seeds on low heat. Remove pot from heat before seeds are all popped.
In a separate pot, pour in whey (or water). Add mixed vegies, turmeric and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so that this mixture remains gently simmering while you cook the grains in the other pot.
 |
| Vegetable "soup"--whey, vegies, turmeric and salt |
After pot with mustard seeds has cooled a bit so that the butter doesn't burn, add butter. Melt the butter on low heat. As the butter is melting, add hing, cumin, black pepper, jalapeno or red pepper, ginger, methi, coriander and curry leaves. Add the suji (farina). Fry the suji in the butter and spices, stirring frequently (almost constantly--you want your grains to be an even color, so you have to keep turning them so they don't get too brown on the bottom) with a wooden spoon for about 30 minutes until the grains are loose and sound like "wet sand" when you stir them.
 |
| Slowly fry the grains on low heat for about 1/2 hour |
When your suji sounds like wet sand, now is the time to add the sambar powder and coconut, if you're going to. Fry for a couple more minutes. At this point, your grains are finished toasting, and your vegies should be soft. Keep an eye on your grains while you quickly check your vegies with a knife to make sure they are fork-tender.
Note: a lot of cooks turn off their flames under both pots at this time. I like to keep both pots going on a very low heat while I do the next step.
Pour a small amount of the boiling vegetable "soup" into the grains. Just as when you're cooking halavah, it will make quite a commotion and sputter all over the place, so be prepared. I usually have a lid handy to hold over the grain pot until it settles down a little. After it settles down, stir in that little bit of soup. After you have added a couple cups of liquid into the grains, it will stop sputtering when you add more. Now add a little more. After each addition of liquid, stir it thoroughly into the grains. After you have added the entire pot of "soup" into the grains, stir thoroughly and then stir in the lemon juice. Now cover. After about three minutes, remove the lid and stir your upma. Add 1/4 c of the chopped cilantro. Stir. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c of cilantro over the top...
...then offer to Lord Sri Krishna, who has so kindly given us all these wonderful ingredients.
Serving suggestion: this dish pairs well with Cold-Weather Karhi for a hearty winter breakfast or lunch. In Udupi, my friend Radha claims that upma is traditionally served with halavah, and she emphasized that both preparations should be served hot. She served us some homemade upma and halavah at her home recently, and I have to say that hot upma and hot halavah truly are a winning combination!
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