Sooji Upma (Indian Semolina Breakfast Dish)

Sooji Upma is a delicious alternative to the usual bacon and eggs or cereal for breakfast. It's vegetarian, quick to rustle up and packed with nutrition.

By
Denise D'silva Sankhé
Denise D'silva Sankhé is a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats.
Denise D'silva Sankhé

Denise is the author of The Beyond Curry Indian Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through India. She wrote the popular Beyond Curry column for Serious Eats starting in 2012.

Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated March 02, 2023
Sooji Upma Indian Breakfast

Serious Eats / Prasanna Sankhe

Why It Works

  • Sooji upma is extremely versatile and can be paired with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and can be either sweet or savory.

The humble grains of semolina are widely used in Indian cooking. And I'm always fascinated by how versatile they can be. Sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, sometimes the crunchy coating on a simple fried fish, semolina has many wonderful avatars.

Sooji upma is a breakfast dish that's as delicious as it is good for you. Upma is welcoming of all sorts of flavors and vegetables, so if you've eaten a carrot stick too many, you can always replace it with any other veggie you like. And feel free to garnish it with scraped coconut, peanuts, cashews, bits of dry fruit or even slices of your favorite fruit.

I've always found Upma to be a sort of breakfast treasure hunt. Sometimes an emerald green pea will surface in a morsel; sometimes a fleck of crunchy peanut will peep out. And it all works beautifully because of the wonderful blank canvas that is semolina.

May 2012

Recipe Details

How to Make Upma (Indian Semolina Breakfast Dish)

Cook 15 mins
Active 15 mins
Total 15 mins
Serves 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semolina flour

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon split black gram (Urad dal)

  • 1 small onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 2 small green chiles split lengthwise

  • 10 curry leaves

  • 1/4 cup diced boiled carrots

  • 1/4 cup boiled green peas

  • 1 teaspoon red chile powder

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 1/4 cups water

Directions

  1. Place semolina in cast iron pan and cook over medium heat until toasty but not browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

  2. Return pan to medium heat and heat ghee or oil until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and split black gram, stir until they splutter, about 30 seconds. Add the onion, fry until slightly soft, about a minute (take care not to brown). Add the slit chiles, curry leaves and stir until fragrant, about a minute longer. Add the carrots, peas, red chilli powder, and sugar, and stir until fragrant and the mixture is coated with the ghee/oil, about 1 minute.

  3. Add toasted semolina and stir vigorously until the mixture resembles wet sand—about a minute. Add the salt and gently pour in the water. The semolina will bubble and spurt as it absorbs the water. Reduce heat to low. Allow this mixture to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The Upma absorbs water very quickly and tends to dry out too, so turn off the heat when the mixture is slightly runny. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Cast iron pan

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
590Calories
12gFat
98gCarbs
23gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories590
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g16%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 512mg22%
Total Carbohydrate 98g36%
Dietary Fiber 15g54%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 23g
Vitamin C 118mg589%
Calcium 85mg7%
Iron 8mg47%
Potassium 915mg19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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