Quinoa-Rawa Upma is one of our classic examples of ‘how can we make traditional Indian recipes more healthy?’ Upma is a quintessential South Indian recipe made with sooji rawa (semolina). It is very delicious but not nearly as nutritious. We do have a recipe of the traditional version if you would like to check it out.
Sooji Upma
Quinoa
Over the past decade or more, quinoa has gained a lot of importance as a nutrient rich grain. It is a great source of fiber and protein, especially good for vegans and vegetarians. I’m personally not a big fan of the texture of quinoa, so I try to use it in a more blended form as much as possible. For example, I have Methi (Fenugreek) Paratha that has quinoa flour. Or Quinoa Dosa and Quinoa Idli that include whole but soaked and blended quinoa.
Quinoa Dosa
Flax Seeds
I try to add flax seeds to almost every batter or flour I cook with. I add milled flax seeds to Idli and dosa batters, rotis and so on. The reason I add milled or ground flax seeds is that they are easy to digest and you hardly notice their impact on the taste or texture. My ayurvedic doctor put me on to flax seeds a decade ago, especially to keep a check on my cholesterol. They have worked wonders for me.
Flavorful Quinoa-Rawa Upma
So this is my take on the traditional Sooji Upma. For this recipe, I used equal portions of sooji rawa and roasted, blended quinoa. I also added a tablespoon of flax seeds to take the nutrition up a notch. South Indian tempering (curry leaves, mustard and cumin seeds, urad dal, dry chili pepper), ginger and green chili peppers add a kick to the dish. Cooked in ghee with onion, tomatoes and green peas, this turns into a delicious, wholesome, breakfast dish. Try it, you’ll love it!
Quinoa is a protein rich food and a good source of magnesium. Flax seeds are rich in fiber, help control cholesterol, lower blood pressure.
Check out some of our South Indian breakfast recipes here:
- Healthy Quinoa Dosa
- Wholesome, Spicy, Sprouts Dosa
- Pesarattu-Green Mung Crepe
- No Ferment Cabbage-Onion Dosa
- Multigrain Dosa
- Rava Dosa
- Delicious Veggie Poha Upma
- Vermicelli Upma
- Sooji Upma
- Cracked Wheat Vegetable Upma
- Soft Kefir-Quinoa-Rawa Idli
- Plain & Veggie Multigrain Idli
- Delicious Steamed Veggie Upma
- Dibba Rotti – Savory Lentil Pancake
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Flavorful Quinoa-Rawa Upma
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Quinoa - Coarse, roasted, blended
- 1/4 Cup Sooji
- 1 Tablespoon Flaxseeds - Ground or milled
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Fine cut
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger - Fresh, ground
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - Medium, tender, fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Tomato - Fine cut
- 1/4 Cup Green Peas
- 1.5 Tablespoons Ghee - Organic
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt - Or to taste
- 1.25 Cups Filtered water
Tempering
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Urad Dal
- 1/2 Pepper Dry Chili Pepper
- 6 Leaves Curry Leaves
Instructions
- Dry roast quinoa in a pan on medium heat. When you get the sweet, nutty smell and the quinoa slightly changes color, transfer to a bowl and cool for a couple of minutes. Transfer to blender and blend to a coarse powder. Add sooji (semolina), flax seeds and mix.
- Heat pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon ghee. After a minute (when ghee is hot), add tempering ingredients and allow mustard seeds to crackle. Add ginger, tomato, onion, green peas, salt, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the blended quinoa, sooji and flax seed mixture and cook for 3 minutes. Add water (preferably hot water), mix well and cook till water evaporates.
- Transfer to a bowl, set it in a rice cooker. Add half cup water to the rice cooker container, set lid and turn it to 'cook' mode. Once it is done, add half tablespoon ghee and fluff with a fork or spoon.
- Serve hot with tomato chutney.
