Tired of bread and heavy snacks? Try this low-calorie South Indian Upma Recipe that can be quickly made and tickles your taste buds! This Healthy Upma Recipe is super easy and every bite of it is indulging and bold in savory flavors of desi ghee, Curry leaves and tomato!
South Indian Upma Recipe of making suji upma, a salted thick porridge, uses roasted suji or Rava or semolina, tempered in ghee with mustard seeds, curry leaves and chilies. Suji is granulated wheat (broken wheat) known as Rava in South India and is used to make several savory and sweet dishes like Rava Idli, Rava/ Suji Halwa, Rava Ladoo and many more. Sauteing Suji and then combining with veggies soaked in Desi ghee makes a total comfort food for any busy day!
A popular breakfast of South-Indians has already gained fame across the oceans and is a worldwide choice of several people. Classic South Indian Upma Recipe doesn't involve adding tomatoes but my family loves tomatoes in everything. So, I tweaked the typical South-Indian style Upma and made Tomato Upma, which is Andhra Pradesh style Upma Recipe! This is homemade upma is any day better than ready to eat upma. Team it with Coffee or Tomato Garlic Chutney and your go-to meal is ready! Read more about my Upma-coffee stories from college days!
Why Would You Love this Recipe?
- An elegant South-Indian Breakfast!
- Melting flavors of ghee, curry leaves and tomato
- Gathers quickly.
- Kids Friendly
- Can be made Gluten Free
- Easily convertible to Vegan
- Scalable and customizable recipe
- The Best South Indian Upma Recipe Ever!
Ingredients of Upma
- Suji: Semolina or Rava works best for this recipe. I have used Rajdhani brand which is very popular in India. You can procure any brand that is locally available. You may also try Oats or Quinoa Upma.
- Tomato: is the star ingredient of this dish. Though I love Upma plain too, but melting flavors of roughly chopped tomatoes definitely make upma an amazing one!
- Onion: I have used red onions that are locally available. You may use spring onions or white onions too.
- Curry leaves: add aroma to this savory Upma! Without curry leaves, I feel that the dish is not very authentic.
- Peas: I love adding peas to my breakfast items like Poha. If you don't like it, feel free to skip it.
- Desi Ghee: The Best Upma can be made in desi ghee. Trust me, this comes from a person who has been making halwa for more than 2 decades and can bet upon it! I have used Mother Dairy Cow's Ghee. You can use any brand.
Variations
- Vegan Upma: This recipe can be converted to vegan by replacing Ghee with any vegan oil like coconut oil.
- Gluten Free Upma: Omit Suji and use Quinoa , gf oats or beaten rice to make the upma totally gluten free.
- Seviya Upma Recipe: Another favorite breakfast of South Indian cuisine is Seviya or Semiya Upma. Different varieties like Wheat, Semolina or Ragi semiya are available.
- Try another vegetable: If you love veggies, you may add carrots, beans and cauliflower to this upma. I avoid adding capsicum as its very dominating and doesn't blend with curry leaves.
- Try another spice: Add dried red chili, chopped ginger and more green chilies to make a spicy upma!
What to Serve With Upma?
- Coffee
- Tomato Dosa Chutney
- Coconut Chutney
- Dhaniya Ambi Chutney
Recipe Overview
I prefer using roasted Suji and daliya in all my recipes. Dry roast Suji in Heavy Kadai on simmer for -4 min till it becomes aromatic. Take it out and in the same Kadai, add ghee and cooked vegetables on simmer. Once done add spices and salt and add water. Gradually add roasted suji while stirring till the consistency is of one large lump.
Expert Tips
If you are looking for a perfect recipe, you are on the right page. Follow the tips for your perfect Tomato Upma:
- One portion of Suji and four portions of water.
- Prefer Desi Ghee over any other oil.
- Add water first to sauteed veggies and suji later.
- Keep Sauteing when you add suji in water so that no lumps are formed.
Which Suji/ Semolina?
Well, there are several brands that you may use. I have a preference for coarse Suji for making Upma of the brand Rajdhani. For Suji Halwa, I use a thin variety. Just remember to manually check for any insects. I always roast suji without ghee in a heavy pan for 2-3 min, before using it. That's how my mother-in-law taught me and following her recipes over years made me realize that no one could beat her perfect ratios!
How to Make Tomato Upma (Video)
Detailed Steps to Make South Indian Upma
- Roast Suji without ghee for 2-3 min in a heavy bottomed pan/kadai. While you roast the suji, you may chop the vegetables: tomato and onion. If you are using frozen peas, you may keep them in hot water while your vegetables get cooked. It helps remove the raw taste.
2. Once Suji is roasted, keep it in a dry plate and in the kadai , add Desi Ghee, add mustard seeds, onion and tomato. Cook till onions are transparent. Then add tomatoes, peas and spices. Add Curry leaves and green chilly.
3. Add water and boil it. Then add roasted suji while stirring or the lumps would form.
4. Keep mixing till you get a one fine lump that is getting together and leaving kadai. The delicious Tomato Upma is ready! Enjoy it with your favorite Chutney!
FAQ
Made with suji, Upma, as a weight loss foods option, is great snacking at supper or even for breakfast. Make sure to have an early dinner to meet your weight-loss goals.
Upma can be your go-to breakfast meal. A bowl of upma has fiber, vitamins, and healthy fats. It is low in cholesterol and calories which makes it a healthy meal and helps you have a balanced diet.
This Tomato Upma recipe shared by me has about 166 calories per serving.
Stories From Kitchen
I understand that for most Indians, it's a staple breakfast. Since I am a North Indian, we never used to have it at home. Having Upma meant visits to Sagar Ratna and since I used to go after college, so it was mostly an evening snack. I used to have it with South Indian Filter Coffee. Must I say that Upma and coffee is a match made in heaven!
If you haven't tried it yet, do try soon.
Why don't you share your Upma story with me?
You may also like-
More Low Calorie Veg Breakfasts
- Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup With Basil- Vegan Homemade
- Crispy Air Fryer Rice Paper Dumplings (Vegan GF Recipe)
- Beet Salad With Feta Cheese and Walnuts {Easy Recipe}
- Beetroot Raita Recipe {Indian Beet Yogurt Dip}
- Air Fryer Carrot Fries {Vegan, Healthy, and Quick Recipe}
- Beet Juice Recipe- Two Methods {Vegan & Healthy}
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South Indian Upma Recipe } Healthy Tomato Upma
Equipment
- 1 heavy bottomed wok
- 1 Chopping board
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Suji or semolina
- 1 tablespoon Desi ghee
- 5-6 small fresh curry leaves
- 1 large onion
- 1 large tomato
- 2 tablespoons peas
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilly
- 1 small Dried Red Chilly
- 1 teaspoon Sambhar Masala Optional
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 small green chilly
- 3 cups water
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Chop onion and tomato in small chunks.
- If you are using frozen peas, you may keep them in hot water while your vegetables get cooked. It helps remove the raw taste.
- Roast Suji without ghee for 2-3 min in a heavy bottomed pan/kadai.
- To same pan , add Desi Ghee, add mustard seeds, onion and tomato. Cook till onions are transparent. Then add tomatoes, peas and spices. Add Curry leaves and green chilly.
- Add water and boil it.
- Add Suji slowly and keep sauteing to avoid lumps.
- Let Suji absorb water and slowly it reduces to one uniform lump. Switch off the gas.
- Serve Hot your Upma with your choice of chutney and coffee.
Video
Notes
- One portion of Suji/Rava and four portions of water.
- Prefer Desi Ghee over any other oil.
- Add water first to sauteed veggies and suji later.
- To cook faster, always cover the Kadai with lid. This way veggies get cooked in steam.
- Keep Sauteing when you add suji in water so that no lumps are formed.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 bowl | |
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 166 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 2.9g | 4% |
| Saturated Fat 1.6g | 8% |
| Cholesterol 4mg | 1% |
| Sodium 16mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 28.9g | 11% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.2g | 11% |
| Total Sugars 2.4g | |
| Protein 5.6g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 18mg | 1% |
| Iron 2mg | 10% |
| Potassium 133mg | 3% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Anushka says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
vegbuffet says
Pleasure Anushka! Do share your views when you try the recipe. Thank you.
Anonymous says
this is such an easy recipe! Though I never added tomato to upma, but seems worth a try! Thanks
Deepti says
Yes, tomato is not added in classic upma. Being North Indian, I add tomato in almost everything. We liked this upma. I hope you like it too. Thanks