Quick breakfast · 20 minutes
Upma Recipe (Soft Rava Upma)
Roast rava. Boiling water. Stir as you pour.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenUpma is roasted semolina cooked with a South Indian tempering into a soft, fluffy breakfast. It goes lumpy or dry when the rava is unroasted or the water is wrong. The fix is roasting rava until fragrant, using 2.5 cups boiling water per cup, and adding the rava slowly while stirring.
The 3 laws of upma
Why this recipe works
Raw rava
Separate grains, nutty taste.
Too little water
Soft, not dry.
All at once
No lumps.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Upma
The NineFoods upma gauge
Is the texture right?
Stir the upma after adding rava.
Method · 3 stages
Step by step
Roast rava
- Dry roast rava until fragrant and lift out.
Tempering and vegetables
- Temper mustard, dals, curry leaves, chillies, ginger and cashews.
- Add onion and vegetables until soft, then water and salt.
Cook upma
- Add rava slowly while stirring.
- Use the gauge above, then add lemon and coriander.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Rava added too fast.
Fix next time
Pour slowly while stirring.
Why
Rava not roasted.
Fix next time
Roast rava until fragrant first.
Why
Too little water.
Fix next time
Use 2.5 cups boiling water per cup.
Why
Under-seasoned.
Fix next time
Salt the water well and add lemon.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Rava | Base | Vermicelli for semiya upma |
| Ghee | Flavour | Oil |
| Vegetables | Colour | Skip for plain upma |
| Lemon | Brightness | Skip |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Coconut chutney and sambar.
Store
Best fresh; fridge 1 day.
Reheat
Sprinkle water and microwave covered.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 3 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the texture right) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Upma FAQ
What is the water ratio for upma?
About 2.5 cups boiling water per cup of rava.
Why is my upma lumpy?
The rava went in too quickly.
Should I roast rava?
Yes, it keeps the upma fluffy and non-sticky.
What is uppittu?
The Kannada name for upma.