Upma is one of the delicious breakfasts of Indian cuisine. Fine semolina upma rava or sooji rava and fine vermicelli noodles both can be used to make this recipe.Vermicelli contains wheat durum just like thick pasta but it is thin like noodles. We cook it al dente' for best results after. This is also called as bambino seviyan or bambino vermicelli after the company which makes it. traditional semiya upma is a traditional south indian breakfast which is much loved by kids. Here we cook a cup of vermicelli, with wonderful veggies of your choice. This delicious breakfast can be customized according to your taste making it as spicy as you want. It is a great choice for a quick breakfast as it cooks real fast and children love noodles. You can even find a microwavable packet of this savory breakfast dish when you are on a vacay.
Nowadays, this classic dish is also a regular feature at tea time. You can find this in the menu of various canteens. Many offices and Udupi restaurant have it on their daily fare. Easy on the go breakfast for many students and office goers.
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Ingredients
- vermicelli with 1tbsp. oil
- oil
- mustard seeds
- ginger diced
- curry leaves
Vegetables
- onion chopped length wise (Do not add for Jain vermicelli upma)
- 1 medium sized carrot chopped finely
- chopped green beans
- tomatoes diced
- corn kernels
- peas fresh or frozen(thawed)
- water
- lemon juice
Spice mix
- turmeric powder
- red chilli powder
- Salt as per taste
Refer to recipe card for details.
Instructions
- Roast the vermicelli.
- Temper onion and ginger in oil in a pan.Avoid onion to make a Jain version.
- Add chopped veggies as per your choice.
- Once they soften,add vermicelli and water.
- Let it come together. Serve serve semiya upma hot with coconut chutney.
Substitutions
You can change the flavor easily if you get bored with normal one. Add carrots, shallots, peas and capsicum. Also add tomatoes, lemon or yogurt dip for tangy flavor. Other veggies you can add are french beans, fresh green peas, bell peppers , chopped onions.
Green chilies, fresh curry leaves,a teaspoon of bengal gram (chana) and a teaspoon of urad dal is added in tempering in a teaspoon of ghee or oil if vegan.
These days you even get millet based vermicelli or you can use rice vermicelli.
You may even add grated coconut and fried cashews on top and make it extra special.
Variations
We use sooji rava to make sooji kheer and a delicious sooji halwa if you like sweet dishes. Use rice vermicelli in making savory idiyappam side dish and sweet falooda. iddiappam is a dish with lightly spiced steamed rice noodles and has lemon or tomato flavor. If you cannot make rice noodles at home, you can steam the readymade rice noodles and add some south Indian tempering. Falooda on the other hand is sweet sundae with nuts, rose syrup, ice cream.
Who has not eaten semiya payasam or seviya kheer? Roasted vermicelli is awesome as a kheer .Another great sevai recipe is Seyun patata. This is a delish Sindhi breakfast. It is a verrmicelli where noodles are roasted in ghee and cooked with some sugar.. We serve it with fried potatoes. Some people use it even in Middle east to make yum desserts. It resembles a bird's nest when roasted in ghee and sweetened with sugar.
Storage
Store it in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Reheat after sprinkling some water, before you consume.
Related recipes
Semiya upma recipe | Veg Vermicelli upma recipe
Equipment
- pan / large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup vermicelli with 1tbsp. oil
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ piece ginger diced
- 1-2 green chillies optional
- Few curry leaves
Vegetables
- 1 onion chopped length wise (Do not add for Jain vermicelli upma)
- 1 medium sized carrot chopped finely
- ½ cup chopped beans
- 2 small tomatoes diced
- 2 tbsp. corn kernels
- ½ cup peas fresh or frozen(thawed)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Spice mix
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- In a pan, add 1tbsp oil, roast vermicelli until golden brown in colour. Keep it aside.
- Add 2 tbsp. oil and add ginger,chillies,mustard seeds along with chopped onions.
- Add remaining veggies and cook until soft
- Add spices, roasted vermicelli and 2 cups of water
- Cover and cook until completely dry.
- Remove it from the pan and serve hot.
Notes
You can add desiccated coconut along with peas for a variation.This will add more fibre to the recipe.
Serve hot with tea/coffee/badam milk.
Conclusion: Easy semiya upma is a healthy breakfast which has simple ingredients yet a lot of taste. You can also serve it in lunch boxes or have it as a snack for teatime.
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