Ragi upma
Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
20 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Breakfast
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Ragi (finger millet) flour
About This Recipe
Upma is the South Indian breakfast built on roasted rava; this version makes the same soft, savoury pile from ragi flour instead. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu homes that keep ragi in the pantry, it is the millet's answer to rava upma: earthy, quick and filling on a weekday morning.
The method leans on two steps. The flour is dry-roasted before any water touches it, which steadies the colour and keeps each grain separate in the pan; unroasted ragi flour hits boiling water as a sticky paste. The pot is then seasoned the way rava upma is: mustard seeds popped in hot oil, then curry leaves, ginger, onion and green chilli stirred through.
Two cups of flour take four and a half cups of water here, which cooks into a soft, spoonable upma; hold back a cup of water for a firmer, grainier plate. A grated carrot or a handful of green peas goes in with the onion for a vegetable version, and groundnut oil can be swapped for ghee if you like. The same flour, cooked with a smoother finish, makes the ragi porridge.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Upma
- Ragi (finger millet) flour — 2 cups
- Water — 4 1/2 cups
- Salt — 1 1/2 tsp
Tempering
- Groundnut oil — 1 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds — 1 tsp
- Curry leaves, fresh or dried — 1 sprig
- Green chilli, slit — 2 pieces
- Ginger, finely chopped — 1 tsp
- Onion, finely chopped — 1 medium
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Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar on the side, or with lime pickle and a bowl of curd for a bigger breakfast. Ragi upma sets as it cools, so ladle it out the moment it leaves the flame. Anything uneaten keeps in the fridge for two days; to serve it again, re-warm it in a pan and loosen with a spoonful of water. More finger millet breakfasts are in the ragi recipes roundup.
Tips for Cooking Ragi upma
Use a wide, heavy kadai: the flour roasts evenly and the upma will not catch. Wait for a rolling boil before the flour goes in, and pour it in a thin stream while stirring, or it balls up in the hot water. Keep the flame low once the flour is in; ragi thickens fast and scorches at the base if left even briefly.
Chef’s Note
The roast decides the taste: five minutes on medium gives a deep, nutty upma, while a pale, under-roasted flour leaves a raw aftertaste. Softness comes from the water, so resist the urge to skimp on it. Each of the four servings works out to about 226 kcal, with 4.3 g of protein and 6.7 g of fibre, almost everything in it from the roasted ragi flour.
Per serving (approx.): 226 kcal, protein 4.3 g, carbs 40 g, fat 4.9 g, fibre 6.7 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Oct 04, 2026
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