Ingredients
To pulse:
1.5 cups rice
2 tbsp toor dal
1 dried red chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black pepper
To temper:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
3 dried red chilies
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 cup grated coconut, if using frozen, thaw it at room temperature
15 curry leaves divided
For the upma:
4.5 cups water
1.5 tsp salt or taste
Preparation
- Pulse the rice, toor dal, one red chili, black pepper, and cumin seeds together. It should be coarse and half-ground, and ensure you don’t grind it smoothly like flour. Use the pulse mode and shake it every two pulses to get an evenly ground rice mix.
- Heat a pan or kadai and add the coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chilies (broken into two pieces), asafoetida, and ten curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter, and the urad and chana dal turn light golden brown.
- Then add the grated coconut and fry for two minutes.
- Add the 4 cups of water and salt and let it come to a rolling boil.
- Once the water starts boiling, add the coarse rice mixture. Make sure you stir while adding the rice mix. Mixing while adding ensures that there are no lumps.
- Mix well and reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Now mix well and at this stage, if required, add the remaining water (not more than 1 cup) and mix again.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is cooked. It will take approximately 10 ~12 minutes. This timing is a rough estimate. Please check the doneness of the rice and turn off the heat accordingly.
- Add the remaining curry leaves, optionally 1 tsp of coconut oil, and cover the upma witha lid. Wait five minutes, then remove the lid, mix well, and serve with your chosen side.
Recipe Notes
- Stirring while adding the rice to boiling water is crucial for avoiding lumps.
- Adjust the spice and salt to taste.
- After cooking is complete, cover the rice upma with a lid and let it sit for a few minutes to ensure the doneness of the rice thoroughly.
- I have tried both the pressure cooker method and the open-pot method. For the pressure cooker method, after tempering and adding water, add the ground mixture and cook for two whistles.
- The water and cooking time differ depending on the rice (old or new). So in this method, ensure you have enough water so it doesn’t get browned, and once the rice is done, turn off the heat.
- Make sure you pulse the rice, dal, and spices. Refrain from grinding it at once. Also, shake the mixer jar after every two pulses so that the rice grains break evenly
