Dish · indian
Upma
Semolina roasted dry, then cooked with water and tempered with mustard seed, curry leaves, and cashews. A quick, savory South Indian breakfast with a texture between porridge and couscous.
Where it comes from
The dish developed as a fast way to use semolina, a byproduct of wheat milling, cooked into a savory breakfast rather than a sweet one. It's common across South Indian households as an alternative to rice-based breakfasts like idli or dosa.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over roasting the semolina dry until it turns fragrant before adding liquid, a step some skip that leaves the dish tasting raw and pasty. Too much water also turns it gluey.
Versions
Nobody has published a upma here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
curry leaves
onion
cashews