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Semiya upma
Savoury vermicelli
Semiya upma: roasted vermicelli cooked with onion, peas and a mustard and urad dal tempering
Semiya upma is a fixture of Tamil home cooking, from Coimbatore to Chennai, made for breakfast, for school tiffin boxes and very often for a light dinner when nobody wants a heavy meal. Ready-roasted wheat vermicelli is cooked in a tempering of mustard seeds, dal, curry leaves, onion and green chilli with a handful of peas until each strand is soft and separate. It is mild and savoury with a squeeze of lemon, and children love it. The common mistake is adding too much water, which turns the vermicelli into a sticky lump. Chef's tip: once the water is absorbed, take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 2 minutes; the strands finish cooking in the steam and stay separate.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 tsp gingerfinely chopped
- 1 ¾ oz frozen peas
- 1 ¾ cups just-boiled waterfrom the kettle
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds; when it pops, add 1 tsp urad dal and 1 tsp chana dal and fry until golden.
2 minStep 2: Add 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 onion, 2 green chillies and 1 tsp ginger and fry until the onion is soft and translucent.
3 minStep 3: Add 1 ¾ oz frozen peas, 1 ¾ cups just-boiled water and ¾ tsp salt and bring to a rolling boil.
2 minStep 4: Stir in 5 ½ oz roasted wheat vermicelli (semiya), lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring gently now and then, until the water has been absorbed and the strands are soft.
3 minStep 5: Cover, take off the heat and leave for 2 minutes so the strands steam through and separate.
2 minStep 6: Fluff with a fork, sprinkle over 1 tbsp lemon juice and serve hot with coconut chutney or a spoon of pickle.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does semiya upma take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 3 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of mustard seeds?
- Cumin seeds, same amount (different flavour, same crackle).
- What can I use instead of curry leaves?
- Leave them out, or add a strip of lime zest (there's no true substitute).
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