A South Indian savoury semolina porridge — a quick breakfast of roasted semolina cooked with a mustard-curry-leaf tarka and vegetables, one of the most widely eaten morning foods across the Deccan.
South India’s quick breakfast
Upma (uppumavu or uppittu) is the breakfast that fuels Chennai IT offices, Bengaluru homes, and Mumbai tiffin boxes. It takes 15 minutes, uses shelf-stable ingredients, and is nutritionally complete with protein from semolina and the topping of peanuts or cashews.
The method
The key technique is dry-roasting the semolina first — raw semolina is stirred in a dry pan until lightly golden and nutty-smelling. This prevents the porridge from becoming glue-like when water is added. The separately made tarka (tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, onion, and cashews in hot ghee) is then combined with the roasted semolina before hot water is added in a steady stream.
Texture controversy
Upma has strong opinions attached to it. Done right, it should be light and fluffy, with distinct semolina grains. Done wrong, it’s a dense, gluey mass — which is why it has a reputation as an unloved office canteen food in India. The difference is almost entirely in the water ratio and the dry-roasting step.
Varieties
- Rava upma — the standard version
- Vermicelli upma — made with fine rice vermicelli instead of semolina; common in Tamil Nadu
- Oats upma — modern health variant using rolled oats instead
- Bread upma — leftover bread stir-fried with the same tarka; common in Maharashtra
Find more foods by letter
Upma starts with U and ends with A. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Upma":