Kuthiraivali Tamarind Upma with Roasted Millet
Tangy tamarind upma made with barnyard millet and toor dal. The millet is roasted until puffy, then pressure-cooked with tamarind extract, aromatics, and tempering spices. Served with a drizzle of sesame oil, this grain-based dish turns grainy and separate as it cools, offering a light, savory meal with South Indian flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup barnyard millet, roasted until white and puffy
- 2 tbsp toor dal, roastedchana dal1:1legume
milder flavor
- 2 ½ cups water, for tamarind extract
- 1 tamarind, gooseberry-sized piece
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ⅛ tsp asafetida
- curry leaves, few
- salt, to taste(optional)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil or sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp urad dal
- 4 nos red chillies
- 1 tsp sesame oil, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes and extract using 2.5 cups of water; reserve extract
- 2
To tamarind extract, add curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt, and asafetida; set aside
- 3
Heat oil in a kadai and roast toor dal; transfer to a plate
- 4
In the same kadai, roast millet until it turns white and puffy; transfer to the plate with dal
- 5
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base and temper mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves, and asafetida in that order
- 6
Add the tamarind extract to the tempered spices
- 7
Bring to a boil, then reduce flame to low
- 8
Add roasted dal and millet; mix well without lumps
- 9
Pressure cook on low flame for one whistle or 3-4 whistles on high flame, about 10-12 minutes
- 10
Release steam and open lid
- 11
Fluff with a fork
- 12
Drizzle with sesame oil before serving
Tips
Not all 2.5 cups must be used for tamarind extraction; you can use 2 cups for extract and add remaining 0.5 cup directly to cooker
Upma appears mushy when hot but becomes grainy and separate as it cools
Fluff with a fork after pressure cooking to achieve the proper texture
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat with water or sesame oil to restore moisture
Roast millet and dal up to 2 days ahead; store separately in airtight containers
Serve hot with sesame oil drizzled on top; pair with small onions as side dish
Common Mistakes
Do not use all 2.5 cups of water for tamarind extraction to avoid overly mushy texture
Do not skip roasting millet and dal to avoid raw, grainy flavor
Do not exceed high flame pressure cooking to avoid mushy texture
Substitutions
milder flavor