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 418kcal
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 chilies finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 stalk curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ¾ - 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrot, green beans and peas)
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 2 cups water (1 ¼ cups water for instant pot)
- 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.
Stovetop Pot Method:
- In a kadai, heat the oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and cashew nuts. Sauté until the dals turn light golden brown.
- Then add green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, hing, and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add onions and saute until the onions become light brown.
- Then add chopped vegetables, salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add rinsed quinoa and saute for 2 minutes with the veggies.
- Add 2 cups of water. For a softer and fluffier texture, add an extra ½ cup of water. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked through.
- 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 lime juice and coriander leaves. Mix well. Serve quinoa upma hot.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 2 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps, do a Natural pressure release.Also, when cooking 1 cup of quinoa in the Instant Pot, use 1 ¼ cups of water.
Video
Notes
I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT
- 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 traditional stovetop methods.
- You can replace quinoa with millet, rava, dalia, oats, 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 did not use 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 air fryer roasted peanuts for crunch.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 624mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5448IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 4mg