This gluten free Upma is made from idli rava or coarsely milled parboiled rice and is mildly spiced with green chillies and ginger.
Upma is a traditional savory breakfast dish that originated in southern India and is made from semolina which is coarsely ground wheat. I wanted to make a gluten free version of this dish and so I tried making it using ‘idli rava’ or ‘rice rava’ , which is coarsely milled parboiled rice. After a couple of trials, I was able to get the perfect upma, which according to me tastes even better than the traditional wheat version!
Some versions of Upma contain tomatoes and or dairy (yogurt). However this version is tomato free as well as dairy free. I use green chillies in this recipe. However if you wanted to make it nightshade free, you can omit the chillies. I prefer adding cumin to my upma. Some people skip this and either use only mustard seeds or add some lentils like urad dal and chana dal. Adding lentils to the garnish is very southern indian whereas adding cumin seeds is more western (Marathi cuisine).
The texture of upma is so important. The ideal consistency is moist and ‘polenta’ like. Hence the right quantity of water is important. Adding hot boiling water is also important to get the right texture and consistency.
What are the ingredients necessary to make Gluten Free Upma?
- Idli Rava / Rice Rava: Idli rava is coarsely milled parboiled rice which is sometimes added to idli batter to get coarse and spongy idlis. You can get this product from any Indian grocery store or you can purchase it online from amazon. I used this brand. Before purchasing check ingredients to make sure the brand has no other ingredients or gluten.
- Onions: You can use either yellow or red onion or shallots for this recipe.
- Fresh Ginger: Fresh ginger adds heat as well as flavor to this dish. If you do not have fresh ginger, you can substitute dried ginger powder.
- Green Chillies: Green serrano chillies add mild heat to this recipe and adds to the delicious flavor. If you want to keep it nightshade free, you can omit the chillies and add more ginger instead.
- Black Mustard seeds: Whole mustard seeds when sauteed in hot oil, splutter and impart their flavor to the oil. So this recipe needs whole mustard seeds. You can purchase mustard seeds from any Indian grocery store or you can purchase them online
- Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds give a strong and unique flavor to this upma. You can skip this if you don’t like the flavor of cumin.
- Fresh Curry Leaves: Curry leaves impart a fresh and mild curry flavor. Using fresh curry leaves is the best. You can find them at any local indian grocery store. If you cannot find fresh curry leaves, you can use dried curry leaves.
- Sea Salt: Since upma is a savory dish, using a right amount of salt is very important to this recipe. You can use any good quality natural salt like sea salt or Himalayan pink salt.
- Olive Oil: You can use any healthy cooking oil like olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil. I like to use extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
- Cashewnuts: Cashew nuts add a nice crunch factor to this porridge as well as makes it more nutritious. You can use almonds as well.
- Fresh Cilantro leaves: Fresh cilantro adds a lot of freshness to the dish. You can skip if you don’t like it or if you don’t have it available.
Other Optional ingredients that can be added to the Upma:
- Tomatoes: If you like your upma to be tangy, you can add a little bit of chopped tomatoes too while sauteing the onion mixture.
- Shredded coconut: Freshly grated coconut or shredded coconut can be sprinkled on the top while serving the upma.
- Coconut yogurt: If you are nightshade free and want a tangy upma, you can add a little bit of coconut yogurt to the upma at the final stage of cooking.
Check out my step by step video tutorial on how to make gluten free Upma:
- 1 cup Idli rava or rice rava (make sure it is gluten free)
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 green chili (serrano), finely chopped
- 1 by ½ inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped (about 2 tsp grated)
- 8-10 fresh curry leaves, roughly torn into pieces
- 8-10 cashew nuts, halved or chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 4 cups boiling hot water
- Fresh cilantro, handful - roughly chopped
- Heat a wide bottom and deep saute pan (or a saute pan). When hot turn heat to medium and add the idli rava to it. Lightly roast on medium heat stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until slightly toasty. Turn heat off. Transfer to a blender. Wait for 5-10 mins until it's cooled down before pulsing it in the blender for about 10-15 seconds. (This step is to just further turn the idli rava into a finer consistency. If the brand that you use is of a finer consistency, you may skip this step of processing)
- Now heat the same deep saute pan (or if your pan is not deep, you can use any cooking pot) and add the olive oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Turn heat to low and wait for the seeds to start spluttering slowly. Once the seeds have spluttered, add the onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat stirring frequently until the onions are golden brown. Meanwhile place water to boil in a kettle or another cooking pot.
- Once the onions turn golden brown, add the cashew nuts and saute for another 1-2 mins until the cashews are slightly toasted.
- Next add the boiling water measuring as per recipe. And then add the roasted (and blended) idli rava and salt. Add the fresh cilantro. Cover and cook on medium for 10-12 mins until most of the water is evaporated but the porridge is still moist.
