Vegetable Rava Upma / Rava Khichdi made in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. Rava Upma is an easy and popular South Indian breakfast. Rava Upma is a thick porridge made from dry roasted semolina, cooked along with various vegetables and seasonings. This is a delicious and warm breakfast, a great way to start the day along with a hot cup of coffee/tea.
Upma is a popular dish served in many South Indian and Maharashtrian restaurants. Rava is also called Sooji, Semolina or Cream of wheat. Although it is a classic breakfast, there is no doubt it can be a nutritious lunch or dinner too. Other popular south indian breakfast dishes are Vermicelli/Seviyan Upma and Steamed Idli.
I love to make this in the morning, when I am craving warm breakfast with my tea. It takes just 15 minutes to make and I also get some veggies for a good start to the day!
You can also make upma with other grains. Check out Vermicelli Upma, Broken Wheat/Dalia Upma and Quinoa Upma recipe.
How to make Sooji Upma in the Instant Pot?
I usually buy roasted semolina, and skip the effort to roast it each time I am making upma or halwa. Some people like to buy Semolina and roast it in bulk themselves and store in airtight containers. Having roasted semolina reduces the cooking time drastically for making upma. This recipe is created with store brought roasted semolina.
Start with sauteing the veggies for a couple of minutes. Then add the rava and water. Cook on pressure cook mode for 1 minute. That is it! Quick and easy 🙂
I like the upma to be dry and not sticking in the mouth when eating. I also add a variety of vegetables to make this a more nutritious breakfast. You can vary the veggies used or skip them completely, depending on your taste buds.
I like to enjoy Rava Upma with Coconut or Mint Chutney. My hubby is from Central India, where sev or bhujia is very popular. He loves to sprinkle some sev on the upma to get a crunch when enjoying upma.
Check out other recipes with semolina - Rava Dhokla, Sooji Halwa and Orange Semolina Cake.
Rava / Sooji Upma in Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Semolina (Sooji/Rava) roasted, thick
- 2 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 Green chili pepper chopped
- 1 cup Onion chopped
- ½ tablespoon Ginger
- 2 Carrot grated
- ½ cup Green peas fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ¼ cup Cashews roasted
- 3 cups Water heated in microwave
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice to drizzle
- Cilantro to garnish
For tempering
- 8 Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
- 1 teaspoon Split Skinned Black Gram Lentils (Urad dal) split & dehusked black gram lentils
- 1 teaspoon Split Chickpeas (Chana dal)
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and let it heat. Add oil and all the tempering ingredients.
- When the mustard seeds splutter, add green chili, onions and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes while stirring frequently.
- Add carrots, peas, salt, sugar and cashews. Stir well. If you are adding different veggies that take longer to cook, then saute them for a few minutes.
- Add roasted rava and water. Stir it all up and scrape if anything is stuck to the bottom. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change setting to MANUAL or pressure cook mode for 2 min. The pin may or may not come up, but the upma will still be cooked in this time.
- When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure. Take the stainless steel insert out of the pot.
- Sprinkle lemon juice and mix. Cover with a glass or other lid. Let the upma rest for 5 minutes. (This is an important step to let the upma not be mushy and soak up all liquid)
- Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy upma with chutney!
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Tejal says
Hi Meeta - I’ve tried and enjoyed many of your recipes so thank you! My mom back home used to make this with peas and potatoes. If those were the only two veggies I use, would you recommend using boiled, chopped potatoes or raw potatoes half cooked before adding the Rava?
Thank you!
Meeta Arora says
Hi Tejal - I would suggest to chop the potatoes into small cubes, and saute them before adding the other ingredients until they are more than half cooked. You can also add the green peas and other veggies, saute for 2 minutes, then add the rava. Hope you enjoy the upma!
KM says
Hi Meeta,
Do you have a recipe for Upma with fine semolina?
Meeta Arora says
I don't have a recipe with fine semolina posted yet. I will add to post in the future 🙂
Asha says
Hi Meeta, I've made your oats upma many times and love it. This was the 1st attempt with the sooji. As you predicted, I got the "burn" message, but followed your instructions. There was no water at the bottom, and after ~15 minutes it set just as I prefer. Delicious! I made it to have for breakfasts this week. After I warm it, the upma will be even better! Just curious, would it be better to cook on normal vs. high? Thanks, I'll be making this version again.
Isha Gujrathi says
Turns out perfect each time! Initially I used to roast Rava and then boil after adding water which was disastrous. Now I follow your instructions to the T and voila!!!! It's awesome.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Isha - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Jana says
Wonderful! I've made it twice in 2 weeks and it came out perfect both times. So flavorful and not at all gummy, like previous attempts in past years. Thanks so much for making this recipe available.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Jana - Happy to hear you enjoyed the upma!
radha rajagopalan says
Thank you. worked like a dream.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Radha - Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Carol says
Excellent. Came out soft and beautiful.
Sabrina says
Thank you ! The upma cooked to perfection.
Sabrina
Meeta Arora says
Hi Sabrina - Happy to hear the upma cooked perfectly!