Savoury Semolina Upma with Vegetables
Roasted semolina cooked into a soft, savoury porridge studded with vegetables and tempered mustard seeds. A South Indian breakfast staple, ready in under half an hour.
By Vegan Cook. Published 5 August 2026
Ingredients
Serves 3.
- 1 cupfine semolina (also sold as rava or sooji)
- 1carrot, finely diced
- 1/2 cupgreen peas, fresh or frozen
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 1 tspmustard seeds
- 1 tspurad dal (split black gram, a small pale lentil used for texture), optional but traditional
- 8-10fresh curry leaves (a fragrant leaf sold at Indian and Asian shops, not the same as curry powder), optional
- 2green chillies, slit lengthways
- 1 tspginger, grated
- 5 cupswater
- 2 tbspneutral oil
- 1 tspsalt, or to taste
- 1lemon, juiced, to finish
Cookware
- Wide pan or kadai
Method
Read each step end-to-end before starting.
- 01
Toast the semolina
In a dry pan over medium-low heat, toast the semolina for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker. Tip it onto a plate and set aside. Do not skip this step, as raw semolina turns gluey.
- 02
Fry the spices in oil
In the same pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal and let them sizzle until they pop and turn golden, about 30 seconds. This step, frying whole spices in hot oil to release their flavour, is the flavour base of the dish. Add the curry leaves and green chillies and let them sizzle for 10 seconds more.
- 03
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the carrot, peas and ginger and cook for 2 minutes more.
- 04
Cook the upma
Add the water and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly pour in the toasted semolina with one hand while stirring continuously with the other, which stops lumps forming. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once halfway, until all the water is absorbed and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- 05
Rest and serve
Turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for 2 minutes to firm up slightly. Fluff with a fork and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Allergen profile
Every recipe here is fully plant-based. Cross-contamination risk depends on your kitchen, so check all packaging.
Swap note
Semolina is made from wheat. Coarse rice-flour rava can be substituted 1:1 for a gluten-free version, though the texture will be slightly grainier.