Upma

Upma,uppumavu, oruppittuis a dish of thickporridgefromdry-roastedsemolinaor coarse rice flour.Upma originated from SouthIndia, and is most common inKerala,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu,Odisha,Telangana,Karnataka,Maharashtra, and inSri Lankan Tamilcommunities. Often, depending on preference, it has various seasonings and/or vegetables added during cooking.
The different names for the dish derive from the combinations of the worduppu, meaning salt in Tamil andmavumeaning ground grain meal in Tamil.InNorth India, the dish is calledupma. InMaharashtra, the dish traditionally had the namesaanjainMarathi.
Upma is typically made by first lightly dry roastingsemolina(calledravaorsoojiin India). The semolina is then taken off the fire and kept aside while spices, lentils, onion, ginger, etc are sautéed in oil orghee. The semolina is then added back to the pan and mixed thoroughly. Boiling water is added, and the mixture is stirred until the semolina absorbs the liquid and becomes fluffy in texture.
There are several ways in which upma is made, and the variations are obtained by either adding or removing spices and vegetables. The texture can vary significantly as well, depending on how much water is added to it, and how long the mixture is allowed to remain on the flame thereafter.
The most popular version with wide variations of upma is made with whole or refined groundsemolinamade out ofdurum wheat. Sometimes a wide range of vegetables may be added, and may be garnished with a variety of beans (raw or sprouted),cashewsand peanuts.  For a variation calledmasala upma(known askharabathin Karnataka),sambar masalaorgaram masalais added along with redchilli powder, instead of green chillies. This variety is more popular in Karnataka, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh and is usually served in South Indian restaurants. Uppumavu paired with hand-mashed banana is a common breakfast item inKeralahomes.
Whole wheat or wheat dalia (cracked wheat) is a common variation of upma in Tamil Nadu, where it is eaten for breakfast or dinner. Sometimes it is cooked with vegetables like peas, carrots, and beans.
Upma pesarattu is the most popular version inAndhra Pradesh,YanamandTelangana. The dish contains upma andpesarattucombined. The upma is eaten by wrapping it in the pesarattu.
Rice upma, which is mainly popular in Tamil Nadu and southern parts of Karnataka, is referred to asakki tari uppittu(rice coarse flour uppittu). Another variant of upma is prepared with grated coconut instead of onions, especially on holy days, when onion is avoided. This type of upma is generally smeared withgheeat the end of preparation. Dishes similar to upma can be made by substituting small crumbs of leftover bread oridliinstead of flour. Upma made from coarser rava known assajjigeis a dish ofUdupi cuisine. It is sometimes served along with snacks such as sautéed and spicedpohaorchevdo.
Another variation, particularly as a breakfast dish, is corn upma, eaten with milk and nuts.
InKarnataka, upma is also served with another common sweet dish of Karnataka,kesari bhath(ಕೇಸರಿ ಬಾತ್), with a scoop of each on one plate, in a presentation commonly called "chow chow bath".
InKeralaandAndhra Pradesh, upma is made withflattened riceas a substitute for semolina. This dish is popularly called as Aval upmavu inMalayalam(അവൽ ഉപ്പുമാവ്) and Atukulu upma (అటుకులు ఉప్మా) inTelugu. This variant is also known as aval upma in the Chennai region when made with rice flakes similar topoha.
A popular light evening snack is upma made withvermicelliand tomato, peas and carrot.
In most parts ofOdisha, a popular breakfast consists of sooji upma served withghugni.