Uppuma / உப்புமா
Uppuma is a healthy meal you can eat for dinner or breakfast. Semolina is a grain rich in fiber and nutrients. Growing up, I used to put sugar in the uppuma to make it sweeter. I don’t do that anymore for health reasons, but it tastes great if you want to try it!
Uppuma
Ingredients
- 1.5 Medium Red Onion (வெங்காயம்)
- 1 Potato (உருளைக்கிழங்கு)
- 3 Carrots
- 4 tbsp Split Chickpeas (கடலைப்பருப்பு)
- ¾ tsp Fennel Seeds (பெருஞ்சீரகம்)
- ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds (கடுகு)
- 15 Curry Leaves (கறிவேப்பிலை)
- 6 Dried Red Chili Peppers (செத்தல் மிளகாய்)
- 4.5 cups Water (தண்ணீர்)
- 2½ tsp Salt (உப்பு)
- 1 cup Peas
- ⅛ tsp Tamarind Concentrate (புளி)
- 1 tsp Coconut Milk (தேங்காய்ப்பால்)
- 2 cups Roasted Semolina (ரவை)
Instructions
- Dice red onions.
- Cut potatoes and carrots into thin slices.
- Put oil on a pan and cook the split chickpeas. The chickpeas will turn a slightly browner color once they are cooked. This can take 1-2 minutes.
- Once the split lentils are cooked, add the onions with fennel seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chili peppers. Break the dried red chili peppers into smaller pieces.
- Once the onions become transparent, add the potatoes and carrots and cook for about a minute.
- Add enough water (about 4.5 cups) to cover the whole mixture and let it come to a boil. Add salt to taste.
- Once the water begins to boil, lower the heat to let it simmer and add the peas.
- Once the peas and other veggies are properly cooked (check that the potatoes and carrots can smush if pressed), add the tamarind extract and coconut milk and mix.
- Add the semolina to the pan bit by bit while circling the pan. Make sure to mix while adding to avoid clumping. You can use a fork to mix to avoid smushing the mixture. When the semolina is cooked, it will not have a white dot in it.
