Vermicelli / Semiya Upma

This Semiya Upma is a traditional South Indian breakfast. Made with vermicelli and vegetables, this upma is mildly spiced, and an easy one-pot recipe. Make it on the stovetop or in the instant pot in less then 25 minutes!

Upma is a favorite Indian breakfast. It can be made with millets, rava, oats, or vermicelli. We love this easy semiya upma that can be made in the instant pot or on the stovetop.

Call it Vermicelli Upma or Semiya pulao or biryani, the preparation is the same. You can add less or more vegetables to your choice.

In North India, this dish is called Namkeen Seviyan, which translates to Savory or Salted Vermicelli.

This Semiya upma is a great choice for a quick and nutritious breakfast. It is nutritious with the addition of all the wonderful veggies, and it is great to add to kids lunch boxes too.

You can also make upma with other grains. Check out my recipes for little millet upma, rava upma, broken wheat upma, and quinoa upma.

What is Semiya or Vermicelli?

Vermicelli is a traditional pasta similar to spaghetti, but thinner and broken down to small pieces. You can buy these at an indian grocery store. The brands Bambino or MTR are popular choices.

There are various types of vermicelli you will see at the store, look for one with wheat. The rice vermicelli (sever) will not work in this recipe.

I like to buy roasted vermicelli. That makes it even easier to make this upma.

But if you don’t have roasted vermicelli, it is easy to roast yourself. Just add 1-2 teaspoon of ghee or oil in a pan and roast the vermicelli until it turns golden brown.

How to make Seviyan Upma? 

Start with preparing the ingredients. I like to have the tadka or tempering ingredients ready before starting to cook. Chop the onions and grate the carrots and ginger.

I am using frozen green peas in this recipe. If you are using fresh green peas, then parboil them before using in this recipe.

• Start with the tempering – Heat ghee or oil in the pan. Then, add the chana dal, urad dal, cumin, and mustard seeds. Then, add the cashews.
• Add the curry leaves and green chili pepper. Then, the chopped onions and grated ginger.
• Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, then add the grated carrots and green peas.
• I used carrots and peas in this recipe, but you can vary with the veggies of your choice. Some options are – bell peppers, corn, edamame, and green beans. You can also add lightly sauteed tofu or paneer to increase the protein in this recipe.
• Then, add the vermicelli, salt, and water. Cook covered for about 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed while stirring frequently.

The vermicelli to water ratio for the stovetop method is 1 cup vermicelli to 1.5 cups water.

Once the water is absorbed, let the upma rest for few minutes. Then open the lid and add the lime juice and gently stir. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

How to make Vermicelli Upma in Instant Pot?

Follow the same steps to saute the veggies. Then add vermicelli, salt and water. The vermicelli to water ratio for instant pot is 1.5 cup vermicelli to 2 cups water.

The reason for using less water in the instant pot is that the water does not evaporate which means less water is needed to cook the same dish.

Pressure cook on high pressure for 1 minute. When the instant pot beeps, do 5 minute natural pressure release, which means release pressure 5 minutes after the instant pot beeps.

Remove the steel insert from the instant pot so that the vermicelli does not overcook and fluff the vermicelli with a fork.

Add lime juice and garnish with cilantro.

Serve this vermicelli upma with chutney or tea or just by itself.  I always look forward to a weekend breakfast of vermicelli upma with some ginger tea.

Tips for perfect Semiya Upma

• Use roasted vermicelli in this recipe. Raw vermicelli will become mushy and won’t taste good.
• You can use vegetables of your choice.
• Add roasted peanuts (groundnuts) at the end to add a crunch to this upma.
• This recipe can be doubled in the instant pot with the same cooking time. On the stovetop, it will take a little longer for the vermicelli to soak the water.

Hope you enjoy this easy and delicious Vermicelli Upma.

Here are more indian breakfast recipes you will enjoy:

• Sabudana Khichdi
• Masala Oats
• Avocado Chutney Sandwich
• Khaman Dhokla
• Sooji Upma
• Besan Chilla