Quinoa Upma Recipe (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Vegetable Quinoa Upma recipe is a simple and wholesome South Indian style breakfast dish loaded with vegetables cooked in an Instant pot pressure cooker or stovetop.
Servings 3
Calories 414kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 teaspoon split urad dal
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 8-10 cashew Nuts optional
- 2 green chili finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- a pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ¾ - 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrot, green beans and peas)
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 ¼ cups water (2 cups water for stovetop)
- salt to taste
- juice of half lime
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
Instructions
- Firstly, Rinse the quinoa to remove the natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Drain excess water and keep aside.
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE, Add oil, and once it’s hot add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, chana dal, cashew nuts and saute until dal changes into light golden brown.
- Then add green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, hing, and saute for few seconds.
- Add onions and saute until onion becomes light brown.
- Then add chopped vegetables and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add quinoa, water, salt, and mix well. Deglaze the pot i.e., scrape any food particle that is sticking to the inner pot in order to avoid the BURN alert.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and use a fork to fluff up the upma.
- Lastly add coriander leaves, lime juice and mix well.
- Instant Pot Quinoa Upma is ready to be enjoyed with coconut chutney and chai.
Stovetop Pot Method:
- In a Kadai, add oil, and once it’s hot add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, chana dal, cashew nuts and saute until dal changes into light golden brown.
- Then add green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, hing, and saute for few seconds.
- Add onions and saute until the onions become light brown
- Then add chopped vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add rinsed quinoa and saute for 2 minutes with the veggies.
- Add 2 cups of water (For more soft and fluffy texture add an extra ½ cup of water).
- Cover with a lid and reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes till the quinoa seeds are cooked.
- Once quinoa is cooked turn off the gas and add coriander leaves and lime juice.
- Mix Well and serve quinoa upma hot with coconut chutney or chutney powder.
Video
Notes
I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT
Tips
- Rinsing quinoa: Make sure to rinse quinoa under cold water 2-3 times to remove the natural coating, called saponin to avoid any bitterness.
- Quinoa and water ratio: For every cup of uncooked quinoa that is being cooked in the Instant Pot, you will need 1 ¼ cups of water or 2 cups of water when cooking in an open stovetop pot. Note: cooking quinoa in an instant pot requires less liquid than the traditional stovetop methods.
Variations
- You can replace quinoa with either millet, rava, or vermicelli.
- Add vegetables of your choice to make a healthy vegetable quinoa upma.
- You may also spice up the upma by adding 1 teaspoon of vangibhath powder and ½ teaspoon of red chili powder to make khara bhath style upma.
- I have not used tomato in this recipe, feel free to add.
- You may also add fresh shredded coconut before serving.
- You can skip urad dal or chana dal if you don't have it and replace it with peanuts for crunch.
Nutrition
Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 617mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5422IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg