Quinoa Upma Recipe

Published: Jul 5, 2016 · Modified: Jan 30, 2018 by Richa 30 Comments

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Quinoa Upma Recipe. Indian Savory Breakfast or Side with Quinoa with mustard seeds, toasted cashews, carrots and peas. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Pin this post.

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Upma is a savory breakfast with veggies, spices and quick cooking forms of grains such as coarse semolina (hot wheat cereal), rice cereal, or rice flakes.Upma is usually served as breakfast or snack. With whole grains, it also can be served as a side like a pilaf.

Today’s Upma recipe uses Quinoa. Temper the spices in hot oil, cook the onions and toast the cashews, add other veggies, add washed quinoa, water and salt and cook until done. You can also use cooked quinoa or millet and mix in the cooked and spiced veggies.Upma is can be made dryer if served as a side or wetter to serve on its own. Add a dash of lemon or dress it with a chutneyor ketchupif it feels too dry.

To make it with semolina or rava, roast the rava with the veggies for 7 to 8 minutes and add 2 cups hot water instead of room temperature water.

More quinoa recipes

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Chickpea quinoa Lentil spinach StewGF
South Indian Quinoa with pumpkin and tamarindGF
Quinoa Black Bean Casserole with cheddar cream sauce.

Reading this week:

The documentary “Gods in Shackles” throws light on the cruelty meted out against temple elephants in Southern India.
216 elephants have died this year already. theelephants beingconnected to religious organizations, this is an incrediblyhard problem to solve in terms or rescue and legal justice. Here is more coverage about the elephants.

How Meat is destroying the planet in 7 Charts.

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5 from 5 votes

Quinoa Upma Recipe. Indian Savory Breakfast or Side with Quinoa with mustard seeds, toasted cashews, carrots and peas. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4

Calories: 225kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

1 cup (170 g) uncooked quinoa
1 tsp organic canola or safflower oil
½ tsp (0.5 tsp) mustard seeds
½ tsp (0.5 tsp) urad dal split black gram or use mung dal (petite yellow lentils)
1 green chili chopped remove seeds to adjust spice if needed
a generous pinch of asafeotida hing optional (omit to make gluten-free or use certified gf asafetida)
10 curry leaves fresh or frozen
½ cup (7 g) finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp chopped cashews
½ inch (0.5 inch) ginger minced 1 tsp grated
½ cup (64 g) chopped carrots
½ cup (72.5 g) peas fresh or frozen (thawed)
½ to ¾ tsp salt
2 cups (500 ml) water
cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

Instructions

Wash the quinoa several times, drain and keep aside.
In a medium skillet, add oil and heat at medium. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and urad dal and let them sputter or sizzle for 15 seconds.
Add chili, asafeotida and curry leaves and cook for half a minute.
Add onions and cashews and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until translucent.
Add ginger, carrots, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add quinoa and roast for 2 minutes with the veggies.
Add salt, water, peas, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Let the quinoa sit covered for 5 minutes. then uncover, fluff and serve. Garnish with cilantro and generous lemon juice. Serve as a side, or as breakfast with hot masala chai.

Notes

Make this with cooked quinoa:
Use 2.5 cups of cooked quinoa and add to the pan at step 7 with salt, peas and a splash of water. Mix well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes to heat up. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Add currants or other dried fruit along with cashews.

Nutritional information based on one serving

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa Upma Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 225Calories from Fat 54

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reader Interactions

Comments

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Nitant Pandey
November 20, 2023 at 9:16 am
Such a comfort food!
Will you keep the proportion of spices the same if I did half quinoa and half tofu scramble? I am thinking of high protein upma with tofu for breakfast
Reply
- Vegan Richa Support
  February 28, 2024 at 10:15 pm
  Yes leave the spices the same.
  Reply
Morag
September 18, 2020 at 12:43 am
Would dried curry leaves work in place of fresh or frozen? Thanks!
Reply
- Vegan Richa Support
  September 19, 2020 at 7:13 pm
  you could, it will just have a slightly different flavour
  Reply
MJ Walls
August 31, 2020 at 2:55 pm
This sound great. Can I sub curry powder for curry leaves?
Reply
- Vegan Richa Support
  September 02, 2020 at 12:14 am
  it’s possible. but they have very different flavours. If you have basil, lime zest, or lemon balm that would be the best. lime zest generally works best (perhaps combined with basil to evoke both herbal and citrus notes), at a ratio of one lime’s zest per eight curry leaves. or even a couple of Bay leaves.
  Reply
Bhavna
July 18, 2020 at 7:29 pm
Thank you so much for this recipe Richa. It’s my new comfort food.
See Also
ZERO Carb Chicken Crust Pizza Recipe | Best Chicken Pizza Crust
Reply
- Vegan Richa Support
  July 19, 2020 at 1:21 pm
  I’m so glad, yay!
  Reply
Ashvin
July 07, 2019 at 6:07 pm

Made it yesterday. It was really good. Thanks so much Richa.
Reply
- Richa
  July 07, 2019 at 9:26 pm
  thanks!
  Reply
Usha
June 08, 2019 at 11:36 am
I am not a big fan of quinoa. I was going to trash my cooked quinoa when I found your recipe. This recipe turned out SO YUMMY!! I switched up the veggies slightly – I used onion, green beans, asparagus and cabbage. I cut all veggies finely and sautéed them. IT WAS AMAZING! Thank you for this inspiring recipe..
Reply
- Richa
  June 08, 2019 at 11:44 am
  awesome! Thanks!
  Reply
Guillaume
March 18, 2019 at 8:23 pm

My wife didn’t like quinoa that much but it changed with this recipe, thanks to you!
If anybody is reading this comment, go and try this as soon as possible : simple, tasty and quick to prepare!
I always forget to comment here but many of your recipes are now favourites in my family so thank you again!
Reply
- Richa
  March 18, 2019 at 9:31 pm
  awesome! thats my goal, to get everyone to like some plant foods in various ways!
  Reply
Liz
April 15, 2018 at 2:16 am

Delicious and versatile!
Reply
Jim Kam
December 04, 2016 at 7:27 am
Woke up early this morning and was looking at some random stuff via my iPad. Happily I landed on this site and saw this recipie. It reminded me of when my grandmother would make rava upma . Looking around I found that I had all the ingredients except cilantro (go figure we always have some) and carrots, but I did have some broccoli/carrot slaw so that was a find substitute.
Anyway, it worked out so well that I have ordered your cookbook via Amazon. Thank you for what you do Ms. Richa
Reply
- Richa
  December 04, 2016 at 11:24 am
  Awesome!
  Reply
surekha sadana
August 15, 2016 at 7:36 am

yes i liked the recipe, even my family loved it too, its yummy and nutritious.
Thanks dear for spreading happiness and health
Reply
vg
July 31, 2016 at 4:54 pm
yum
Reply
IR
July 07, 2016 at 8:26 pm
What a great version of upma!
I feel terrible elephants are treated without care or respect…Thank you for mentioning it on your blog
Reply
Corrine
July 07, 2016 at 6:51 am
Great recipe. Just found your blog as I am trying to eat more healthily. I will be making this one.
Reply
vivek garg
July 06, 2016 at 8:45 pm

yumm
Reply
- Richa
  July 06, 2016 at 8:56 pm
  thanks!
  Reply
Cassie
July 06, 2016 at 5:27 pm
I’ve never tried upma before, nor have I ever even heard of it! But it sounds absolutely delicious! I would love to make this recipe!
Reply
Izzy Bruning
July 06, 2016 at 11:29 am
Oh this looks so good!!!
Izzy | https://plantbasedizzy.wordpress.com/
Reply
Sarah | Well and Full
July 06, 2016 at 7:21 am
Reading about those poor elephants made me so sad 🙁 I don’t know how people can be so cruel to animals. But thank you for spreading awareness about this issue.
Reply
- Richa
  July 06, 2016 at 9:04 am
  Its incredibly heartbreaking, esp since there aren’t even easy solutions tot he problem and actions to take to help them.
  Reply
Virginie
July 06, 2016 at 1:28 am
Thanks a lot for this receipe. Hello from France
Reply
Sally
July 05, 2016 at 6:29 pm
I love all your recipes and am so happy that you blog! Thank you ????
Reply
- Richa
  July 06, 2016 at 2:09 pm
  Thank you Sally. I am so happy you like them all! 🙂
  Reply

Quinoa Upma Recipe - Quinoa with Spices, Carrots and Peas - Vegan Richa (2024)

FAQs

What does quinoa taste like? ›

Flavor Profile: What does quinoa taste like? Now you know that quinoa is a seed that originated in the Andes and comes in three different colors, but let's talk about flavor. These pseudograins have a nutty undertone and an earthy aftertaste similar to brown rice. However, they have a soft yet slightly chewy texture.

Show Me More ›

Is Upma made of quinoa? ›

Quinoa Upma is a South Indian Upma variety made with quinoa, tempering spices, curry leaves, mixed vegetables and cashew nuts (optional).

Tell Me More ›

Which upma is gluten free? ›

The Desi Nutri Multi Millet Upma Rava is 100% gluten-free and has a low GI, making it the ideal choice for your healthy cooking experiments. Make delightfully filling Upma for your lunch box or even serve it as an evening snack for kids.

Discover More Details ›

How do you season quinoa so it tastes good? ›

Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds a nice savory note to quinoa. You can also use a bit of minced fresh garlic. Dried oregano: Oregano adds a nuance of flavor and a Mediterranean flair. Kosher salt : One of the biggest mistakes people make with quinoa: they don't add enough salt!

Find Out More ›

What should I season quinoa with? ›

I also love to flavor it with fresh garlic and herbs such as parsley, dill, and cilantro. You can add the seasonings of your choice into the pot at the same time with the liquid and cook it as directed. Alternatively, you can also add them in after your quinoa is cooked.

Get More Info Here ›

Is quinoa better for me than rice? ›

Quinoa is rich in both fiber and protein, contains a much higher amount of other nutrients, and has a similar fluffy texture to the rice. A cup of quinoa contains twice more protein and about 5 g more fiber than white rice. Quinoa contains fewer calories and carbohydrates than white rice.

Get More Info ›

What does quinoa do for your body? ›

The fiber in quinoa can also help with cholesterol and blood sugar levels, lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Quinoa is rich in antioxidants, which can prevent damage to your heart and other organs. A diet high in antioxidants has been linked with a decreased risk of heart disease.

Discover More ›

What is the Indian name for quinoa? ›

Though its origins are found even before pre-Columbian civilization in Peru and Bolivia, quinoa is no stranger to us Indians. This nutty grain is in fact a member of be Chard, Beetroot and Spinach family and is popularly known as 'Bathua' in India.

See Details ›

Why is quinoa so expensive in India? ›

Why is quinoa more expensive than rice and other grains? It's a classic example of supply and demand. As the market for quinoa has nearly tripled since 2006, the farmers who produced it were not able to keep up with the demand for it, thus making it more expensive.

Get More Info ›

What is quinoa called in Kerala? ›

Answer. Answer: Kineava..... this is the meaning of quinoa in Malayalam....

Read On ›

Do we need to soak quinoa before cooking? ›

Do you need to soak quinoa before cooking it? In short, no, you don't need to soak quinoa. However, doing so is said to remove phytic acid, which may make it easier for people to digest quinoa. If you just want to remove the bitter flavor from quinoa, rinse it under cold water for about a minute.

Know More ›

What flour is upma made of? ›

Semolina

Get More Info ›

Does POHA have gluten? ›

Ans: Yes, poha is gluten-free and is a great breakfast and evening snack item.

Which Indian spices are gluten-free? ›

Spices: Pure spices – whether Indian or otherwise – are naturally gluten-free. A potent spice called hing, however, is often processed with wheat and could be used in chutneys, soups, and sauces.

Tell Me More ›

What makes quinoa better? ›

Higher in fiber than many grains

Another important benefit of quinoa is its high fiber content. A 1-cup (185-gram) serving of cooked quinoa contains 5.18 grams of fiber. That's about 18% of the current 28-gram DV ( 4 ). Quinoa contains more fiber than several other popular grains, like brown rice.

Read The Full Story ›

How do you make quinoa not taste bad? ›

The outer cover of quinoa tastes bitter and hence first make sure to rinse it in water well for three four times. And the ratio of quinoa to water is 1:2 while cooking. Once you are done rinsing, measure quinoa and add twice the amount of water to it and let it cook for exactly 20 minutes.

What can I add to quinoa to make it less bitter? ›

Happily, the solution to preventing bitter quinoa is very simple. All you need to do is rinse your uncooked quinoa in cold running water for a minute or so until the water runs clear.

Read The Full Story ›

Quinoa Upma Recipe - Quinoa with Spices, Carrots and Peas - Vegan Richa (2024)

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