An age-old classic recipe with a fresh new ingredient...Proso Millet Upma. Upma is a traditional south Indian breakfast recipe that is usually prepared with semolina or coarse rice flour.
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This recipe with Millets is my twist on a classic Indian. Millets cooked to tender perfection in a simple tomato-onion broth and a supporting vegetable makes this dish a simple breakfast option you should try today.
Just like rice, Millet comes in several varieties, each with a unique flavor. I have used Proso millet variety for this recipe, but it is not to say that it is the only one that works. You are free to use any variety that you can get. All that matters is that you cook them to a tender texture and let them absorb the flavors as you cook them.
Millet upma can be prepared using a pressure cooker or the Instant Pot in a matter of minutes and give a healthy kick start for your day. To augment the goodness, I added a few frozen veggies like green beans and peas. Not only do they make it more nutritious, but they also add a lot of color to the dish. You can choose to add any other vegetable of your choice or even skip the step completely.
What you should be looking for, in this dish is a well-cooked tender millet mixed well with the onion-tomato base and other supporting spices.
Although I have started trying millet recipes only recently, this is not the first millet recipe that I am sharing. Finger millets are very common in India and I have shared a couple of recipes with finger millets in the past like millet cookies and millet protein shakes.
The Proso millet that I have used for this recipe, has several commercial names...hog millet, white millet, “Pani varagu” (Tamil) and “Baragu” (Kannada). So look for any of those names if you cannot find “Proso Millet”.
Is Proso Millet good for health?
What makes millets special is the amount of protein it packs in every serving, yet light and fluffy in texture. It is a better alternative to rice or any grain based recipe in every aspect. It has higher fiber content and controls blood sugar better than white rice.
Proso millet contains high lecithin that supports the neural health system. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids. Its low glycemic index helps in controlling hunger and also reduces the risk of type-2 diabetes.
Prep work: Soak the millet before cooking
I have noticed that soaking the millets overnight or for a couple of hours in cold water, speeds up the cooking process considerably. Although small, millet seeds take approximately 30 minutes to cook in boiling water. With overnight soaking or a 2-hour soak, the cooking time is down to as little as 10 minutes. So be sure to soak them before you plan this for your day.
Upma is traditionally prepared over the stovetop, but I have shared the Instant Pot procedure as well as the traditional way.
Stove top method
Rinse the Proso Millet / Pani varagu 2-3 times with clean water and soak for at least 2 hours.
Place a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter and then add urad dal, red chili. Saute them until the lentils turn golden brown.
Add curry leaves, and ginger and continue to saute for 10 sec. Now add onions and continue to saute until they turn transparent and follow up by adding finely chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes before adding the spices: Red chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala. Saute for another 30 seconds.
Now add the frozen vegetables. Mix well and add 2 cups of water, salt.
Place a lid on top to speed up boiling. Let the water come to a full boil. As the water starts to boil, add soaked millets and mix well.
Cover with a lid and cook for ten minutes in low heat. High flame cooking could burn the bottom.
After 10 - 15 minutes, water is fully absorbed and millets become soft. If there is more moisture left in the upma, wait for a few more minutes before turning the heat off.
Finally, add a few drops of lemon juice, and cilantro mix, and mix well. Proso Millet Upma is ready to be served with simple coconut chutney or sambar!
If this recipe interests you, look for similar millet recipes in my blog such as the Finger Millet cookies or the Ragi drink.
Instant Pot Method
In the ‘saute’ setting, add a few teaspoons of oil to the inner pot.
As the oil heats up, add mustard seeds, urad dal, and red chili and saute until they start to sizzle.
Add grated ginger, curry leaves, and cook for about 30 seconds.
Then add chopped onions, and saute until they are translucent.
Now, add chopped tomatoes and mix well then add the dry spices: Red chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala. Continue to stir well to cook the tomatoes completely.
Add frozen vegetables of your choice. I used green peas and green beans in my recipe.
Add salt and mix thoroughly.
Now, add the soaked and drained millet.
Add water in the right proportion as noted in the ingredients list. Stir well.
Close the lid of the instant pot and turn the steam release handle to the “sealing” position. Press the manual/pressure cooking setting and set the time for 8- 10 minutes.
As the timer expires, use the natural release to let the pressure settle and then open the lid.
Add lemon juice and cilantro. And mix well and proso millet upma is ready to serve.
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📖 Recipe
Proso Millet Upma - Instant Pot & Stove Top
Process Shot
Check above for step-by-step pictures (most of my recipes include pictures)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup proso millet
- 1 ¾ cup water
- 1 small onion
- 1 Tomato
- ½ cup frozen vegetables of your choice
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 1 red chili
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ⅓ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 1 strand curry leaves
- 2 teaspoon ginger
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- Cilantro for garnish - optional
Instructions
Directions for Instant Pot
- Soak the rinsed millet for 2 hours and then drain completely and place it aside.
- In the ‘saute’ setting, add a few teaspoons of oil to the inner pot.
- As the oil heats up, add mustard seeds, urad dal, and red chili and saute until they start to sizzle.
- Add grated ginger, curry leaves, and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add chopped onions, and saute until they are translucent.
- Now, add chopped tomatoes and mix well then add the dry spices: Red chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala. Continue to stir well to cook the tomatoes completely.
- Add frozen vegetables of your choice. I used green peas and green beans in my recipe.
- Add salt and mix thoroughly.
- Now, add the soaked and drained millet. Add water in the right proportion as noted in the ingredients list. Stir well.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and turn the steam release handle to the “sealing” position. Press the manual/pressure cooking setting and set the time for 8- 10 minutes.
- As the timer expires, use the natural release to let the pressure settle and then open the lid.
- Add lemon juice and cilantro. And mix well and it is ready to serve.
Stove Top Method
- Rinse the Proso Millet / Pani varagu 2-3 times with clean water and soak for at least 2 hours.
- Place a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter and then add urad dal, red chili. Saute them until the lentils turn golden brown.
- Add curry leaves, and ginger and continue to saute for 10 sec. Now add onions and continue to saute until they turn transparent and follow up by adding finely chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes before adding the spices: Red chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala. Saute for another 30 seconds.
- Now add the frozen vegetables. Mix well and add 2 cups of water, salt.
- Place a lid on top to speed up boiling. Let the water come to a full boil. As the water starts to boil, add soaked millets and mix well.
- Cover with a lid and cook for ten minutes in low heat. High flame cooking could burn the bottom.
- After 10 - 15 minutes, water is fully absorbed and millets become soft. If there is more moisture left in the upma, wait for a few more minutes before turning the heat off.
- Finally, add a few drops of lemon juice, and cilantro mix, and mix well. Proso Millet Upma is ready to be served with simple coconut chutney or sambar!
Video
Notes
- If you are in a hurry, you can make this Millet upma in a stovetop pressure cooker too. For that, use 2 cups of water for every cup of millet.
- You can use any kind of vegetables fresh or frozen.
- Millet upma is the best tasting when it is served hot as it tends to dry out as it cools. You can also serve it with spicy tomato chutney or coconut chutney on the side.
- If you do not have easy access to Proso millet, that's ok! The procedure is the same for all kinds of millets.
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Deborah says
Do you pressure cook on hi or low?
Uma Raghupathi says
I used the default setting - which is on high pressure.
Sasmita says
Millets Upma that too using proso millet sounds so healthy and delicious !
Love this twist on a classic Indian upma 🙂 . Nice simple breakfast option for sure...
Uma Raghupathi says
Thank you Sasmita. Hope you will try this soon...