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You are here: Home / Breakfast / Ragi Semiya Upma Recipe (Vermicelli Upma) – Upma Recipe

Ragi Semiya Upma Recipe (Vermicelli Upma) – Upma Recipe

November 24, 2015 31 Comments

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Ragi semiya upma – Amma made this delicious breakfast upma the last time I was in Kottayam. Although I am not a huge fan of semiya upma, I do make it now and then. Ragi semiya was new to me and I didn’t expect to like it much but it was a very pleasant surprise!

Ragi Semiya Upma Recipe
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Although I took pictures when amma was preparing the ragi semiya upma, they didn’t turn out great. I am always on vacation mode when in Kottayam and feel lazy taking step by step pics. I’d much rather sit on the high kitchen counter, dangling my feet, drinking hot tea, and generally not caring about anything going on around me. There are few exceptions to this and the day the ragi semiya upma was made, it wasn’t one of them.

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

So I did the next best thing and brought back a packet of Anil Ragi Vermicelli to Singapore. This is the brand my mom swears by and trust me, she has tried all of them. It’s not easily available in Kerala but you can find it everywhere in Tamil Nadu.

If you love upma recipes, then check out idli upma recipe, vegetable rava upma, masala bread upma and vegetable dalia upma,

Ragi Semiya Upma (Vermicelli Upma) Recipe

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 cups of ragi semiya (vermicelli)
1 small onion, sliced
3-4 green chillies
1/3 cup of grated coconut (optional but recommended)
2 tsp of oil
1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
1/4 tsp of split urad dal (ulutham paruppu)
1/2 tsp of grated ginger
Salt to taste

How to make Semiya Upma:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Whey they pop, add the urad dal and fry until golden brown.

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

2. Next, add the sliced onion, ginger, and green chillies and fry until the onions turn soft and pink. Don’t fry them too much; it tastes great in the upma with a little bit of crunch.

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

3. Once the onions are sort of done, add the ragi semiya. Mix well and add salt.

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

Now, sprinkle about 1/4 cup water on this mixture. Mix well. Continue this with little water until the ragi is cooked. This will take about 12 minutes or so depending on how much water you add. Take care not to add too much because ragi semiya will cook to a mush very quickly and become yuck. Sprinkle water a little at a time, keep stirring, and let it cook evenly

(PS: it was very hard to take a picture with one hand of me sprinkling water).

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

4. When the vermicelli is cooked soft and there’s no extra water remaining in the upma, add the grated coconut. Mix well and heat through. Adjust salt.

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

Serve hot with coconut chutney. If you prefer your upma sweet, you can sprinkle some sugar on it and eat with a ripe banana. Either ways, it tastes great. Ragi vermicelli has a chewy texture that I absolutely love!

Ragi Semiya Upma RecipePin

Note: the ragi vermicelli packet advices cooking it on steam. I haven’t tried that since this method I’ve detailed above is easier but amma says steaming will result in much softer vermicelli upma. If you want to try it, rinse the ragi semiya in some water and transfer to a steamer. Steam for about 5-6 mins and then use as above, skipping the sprinkling-water step.

The text art on the first pic of ragi semiya upma is by Sindhu.

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By nags Filed Under: Breakfast, Tamil Recipes, Uncategorized

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tasneem

    March 28, 2018 at 4:06 am

    Thank you for this method of preparation of ragi seviyaan rather than the soaking and steaming method. I have been thinking of making it this way but wasn’t sure how much water i would have to add. I have made it the soaking and steaming way but they get gluggy though tasty. My mother in law made wheat seviyaan this method.

    Reply
    • nags

      May 2, 2018 at 10:44 am

      yes there’s some trial and error involved. have to sprinkle water until the ragi semiya gets cooked and soft 🙂

      Reply
      • Tasneem

        May 2, 2018 at 11:02 am

        Thanks Nags. I made it and it was so easy and quick. You are the first one who has given this recipe without the soaking and steaming method. Looks and tastes great.

        Reply
  2. Anu Nandu

    June 30, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    Ooohh..I found this too in my indian store and made it a few weeks ago – looks gorgeous!

    Reply
  3. DineIn

    June 27, 2012 at 10:26 am

    mm me too like more ragi semiya (vermicelli) this is my spouse favorite dish for break fast 🙂

    Reply
  4. Devi Raman

    June 27, 2012 at 4:43 am

    I bought a packet of Anil Ragi vermicelli a month back after seeing your recipe. Yesterday, I tried this out for dinner and it came out well. I followed your recipe to the 'T' and didn't cook the way it was mentioned on the pack as it required more work as well. My folks at home were all praise for this. Thanks to you.

    Reply
  5. thenali

    June 24, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    I tried this recipe today, felt it dry to eat this alone without chutney.
    Being a bachelor, I don't have a mixie, hence no chutney 🙁
    Though, I can try it with sambar – but the quickie advantage of the recipe goes away!
    Additional note from my grandma:
    To make it taste sour, you can add lemon (as reqd.) at the end, if salt is used instead of sugar.

    Reply
    • Nagalakshmi V

      June 25, 2012 at 12:34 am

      good point. but you can eat it on it's own for sure. i think it was dry because either you didn't add enough water while cooking (which is the more common issue) or, you didn't add enough oil 🙂

      Great tip from your grandmom! thanks for that.

      Reply
  6. Padhu

    May 29, 2012 at 9:35 am

    Healthy and yummy!

    Reply
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Hello!

I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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