Tamarind Semia Upma – Recipe for quick South Indian breakfast / tiffin of Puli Semia / Tamarind Vermicelli
Tamarind semia upma is not a traditional preparation, at least not in my home. This is inspired by my great grandmother’s Puli Aval, a tamarind poha preparation that used to be my hot favourite for tiffin as a kid.
If you love Puliyodharai, then you will love this Tamarind twist on a plain semia upma. The peanuts, chana dal and udad dal give it a nice crunch, making it a very satisfying breakfast, all ready in under 15 minutes.
The method for preparing this Tamarind semia is slightly different as the semia needs to boiled like pasta in order to be cooked, unlike poha that just needs soaking in water (and draining) for most part.
Making use of packaged tamarind paste makes quick work of this recipe, in case you need to make a hot breakfast on a weekday. Add more peanuts or have it with a bowl of yogurt to get adequate protein along with this carb rich breakfast.
You may also like these quick Indian breakfasts
Pudla – Gujarati pancake made from besan / chickpea flour
Raw Papaya Poha – a healthy twist on the regular poha
Godhuma Dosai – instant whole wheat flour dosa
Tomato Omelette (vegan)
Tamarind Semia Upma
Ingredients
Method
- To prepare tamarind semia, in a pan, bring 1 and 3/4 cups water to a boil with salt, tamarind paste, turmeric. (in case you are using tamarind water/extract, then reduce the water content accordingly)
- When the water comes to a boil, add the roasted semia (vermicelli) and allow to cook on medium flame. Once the vermicelli is cooked and the water is absorbed, remove this in a plate and allow to cool. Do not overcook the semia.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tempering for the Tamarind Semia. In a heavy bottomed kadai, heat the gingelly oil.
- Add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add udad dal, chana dal and peanuts. Stir on high flame until the dals turn golden brown and peanuts turn a shade darker and crisp up.
- Add the curry leaves, red chillies, asafoetida - stir for few seconds. Then add the cooked semia, a little extra salt (1/4 tsp or as per taste), sugar and toss to combine well.
- Remove this into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coconut or finely chopped coriander leaves.
For healthy vegetarian recipes, check out my book The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian. Get all the info about my book and order it here.
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Hi Nandita……tonight I tried the tamarind semia Upma and it was delicious, hubby and daughter relished it ….thanks for sharing
I just made this and what can I say, I wanted to finish the bowl and come and leave a comment. It was really tasty, simple and fast
You have not mentioned the quantity of semis to be taken for above mentioned ingredients. So I would like to know the quantity.
Thank you
correcting it now!
how much vermicelli is used in this recipe please
i need to correct this – please check back later today! Thanks
I tried this today and it was quite tasty!!! Just an oversight perhaps but you have forgotten to mention the quantity of the main ingredient i.e. Vermicelli. Also asafoetida is missing in the list of ingredients. Thanks!!!
Thanks for informing me Bharathi. Let me check and correct it asap.
Add a bit of powdered jaggery at the end and it turns even more heavenly 🙂
My grandmother would approve that 🙂 Thanks