This simple dish, perfect for breakfast or a light meal, is made with coarse rava (sooji) and uses a lot of onions to flavor the uppit. Unlike other styles of uppit that use vegetables or beans, this onion uppit is a minimalistic style of uppit, resulting in a dish where you can smell the nutty aroma of the roasted rava, the sweet taste of onions, and each of the simple spices in each mouthful.
I make this style of uppit when I want a quick lunch while working from home. I and pair it with some plain yogurt and Indian pickles on the side for a more complete meal.
Simple Onion Uppit
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Yellow onion diced finely
- 2 tbsp Vegetable or Canola oil
- 1/2 tsp Black mustard seeds
- 1.5 tsp Urad dal
- 1.5 cups Roasted upma mix or medium coarse rava (300 g)
- 10 Curry leaves
- 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 1.5 tbsp Fresh grated coconut either grated fresh, or frozen
- 3-4 Green chilis minced. Adjust based on the spice level of chilis
- 1.5 tsp Salt 10 g to taste
- 4.5 cups Water
- 1 tbsp Ghee optional
Instructions
- Gather and prep all the ingredients for the uppit.
- Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and add the mustard seeds. It’s ok to add the seeds when the oil is heating up. Cover the saucepan and wait for the seeds to pop.
- When the popping stops, lower the heat and add the urad dal, green chilis, and curry leaves. Stir for a minute until the urad dal turns golden brown.
- Add the chopped onions and half the salt and cook for a few minutes, while stirring, until the onions turn translucent. Do not rush this step.
- Add the roasted upma mix or rava and stir to combine. If using roasted upma mix, you only need to stir for a couple minutes until the rava is heated through. If you are using unroasted rava, then stir the rava and vaggarnae mix for a little longer until the rava becomes fragrant.
- Add the rest of the salt and stir to combine.
- Add the 4 cups of boiling water to the rava mix now. The uppit will bubble up aggressively for a few secionds if your pan is really hot. Stir the mixture until everything is evenly combined.
- Cook the uppit while stirring for another 2-3 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rava becomes soft. If the uppit seems to be too dry before the rava is fully cooked, add a half cup of water and stir some more. You will have to use your judgment based on how soft you want your uppit.
- Taste and adjust the salt at this stage.
- Turn the heat off, and add the ghee. Stir to combine and cover the saucepan and let the uppit rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and fresh grated coconut and serve hot.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator.
Reheat and break up any lumps that form in the uppit when it cooled down.
Reheat and break up any lumps that form in the uppit when it cooled down.