Puffed rice upma recipe
Updated: August 10, 2022, By Swasthi
Puffed rice upma is an easy brunch & breakfast recipe made with puffed rice, spices, peanuts, onions and tomatoes. It a popular dish from the South Indian state of Karnataka and is also a street food. It is known as mandakki oggarane in some parts of the state. Uggani, pori upma or murumura upma are the other names. It is mostly eaten with mirchi bajji or stuffed chilli bajji.
Puffed rice are nothing but rice puffs which are mostly eaten in India and neighboring countries as a snack. There are a lot of Indian street foods made with puffed rice like bhel puri, jhal muri, churumuri and this mandakkai oggarane.
This recipe is easy to make and takes just 25 mins. We usually have it on the weekends for breakfast or brunch. There are a few different ways of making this dish. I have shared the way my mom makes it.
Puffed rice upma is made by first rinsing puffed rice in lots of water to soften them. Then the excess moisture is gently squeezed up. Later a onion tomato masala is made to which the softened puffed rice is added and stirred.
We sprinkle fried gram flour as it enhances the flavor and taste of the dish. A generous amount of lemon juice is added towards the end.
To make it slightly healthier, you can also add some steamed veggies like peas & carrots. Sometimes I use bell peppers in the tempering.
Photo Guide
Preparation
1. Add them to a blender jar.
2. Make a fine powder. Set aside.
3. Fill a large pot with lots of water. Add puffed rice and keep stirring for 30 seconds. They will turn softer and soak up water. If you are using the thicker variety, then soak it for 5 minutes to soften. The airy variety just needs a quick wash otherwise they turn mushy.
4. Squeeze off the water from with both your palms. After squeezing they should be just moist and no excess water.
How to make
5. Heat oil in a pan. Then add mustard and cumin (optional). Also add chana dal, urad dal and peanuts. Fry peanuts and dals till golden & crunchy.
6. Add curry leaves, green chilies, onions and fry till onions turn lightly pink.
7. Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt.
8. Cover and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Then fry till the oil begins to leave the sides of the pan.
9. Lower the heat completely. Add puffed rice and mix well.
10. Cover the pot and heat on a low flame until the puffed rice upma turns hot. Do not do it for longer it will get burnt.
11. Turn off the heat. Add fried gram powder and coriander leaves. Mix well. Taste and add more salt if needed. Then squeeze the lemon juice.
Do not add all the powder at once. Add little by little and adjust to suit your taste.
Serve pori upma hot or warm with mirchi bajji, any fried snacks or even with plain yogurt.
Related recipes
Upma recipe
Bhel puri
Jhal muri
churumuri
Puffed rice upma
Puffed rice upma | Uggani | Pori upma
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 250 gms puffed rice cleaned
- 1 large onion cubed
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 2 to 4 tbsps fried gram
- 2 tbsps Lemon juice or tamarind paste as needed (refer notes)
- 2 tbsps coriander leaves chopped
- Salt to taste
Tempering ingredients
- 2 to 3 tbsp oil
- 3 green chilies slit
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ tsp mustard
- ½ tsp jeera (optional)
- 3 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tbsp channa dal
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 2 tbsps grated coconut (optional)
Vegetables (optional)(refer notes)
- ¼ cup capsicum chopped
- ¼ cup carrots chopped or grated
- ¼ cup green peas boiled (skip if using peanuts)
Instructions
- Pour lots of water to a large pot and add puffed rice to it stirring with your hand.
- If you are using thicker variety, leave it in water for around 5 mins. If you are using the very airy variety, just dunk them in water and squeeze up the water immediately else they turn mushy.
- Squeeze away the excess water from the puffed rice fully and transfer to a wide plate.
- Puffed rice should be soft enough but not soggy at this stage.
- Add fried gram to a blender and make a fine powder. Set this aside.
Tempering
- Heat a wide and deep pan with oil.
- Add mustard, cumin, dals and peanuts (if using).
- Fry until the peanuts turn golden. Then add green chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
- Add onions and fry for 2 to 3 mins until they turn pink.
- Next add tomatoes, turmeric and salt.
- Fry till the tomatoes turn mushy. If needed cover and cook on a low heat.
- Saute the mixture till it begins to leave the sides.
- Lower the flame completely. Add the rice puffs and mix well.
- Cover and cook on the lowest heat until the puffed rice turns hot. Do not leave for long time as they burn quickly or stick to the bottom.
- Turn off the stove and add 2 tbsps fried gram powder & coriander leaves. Mix well.
- Taste it & add more fried gram powder, salt if needed and then lemon juice.
- Mix well and serve puffed rice upma with mirchi bajji or plain yogurt.
Notes
If using tamarind, soak it in hot water and extract a thick paste and filter it. Pour this to the seasoning once the tomatoes soften. Let it bubble and thicken. Then add puffed rice.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Recipe originally published in Nov 2012. Republished in Nov 2019.
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
very helpfull
Can I use putnalu place besan flour
I don’t think it will work
it helps me a lot for perfect taste recipes are perfect
Thanks Sneha! Glad you like them.
Hello swasthi..I tried many of your recipes and they all came out excellent..I need kaddu ki kheer recipe..
Hi Syeda
Thank you. I have this kaddu ki kheer made with golden pumpkin. If you are asking about other kaddu then you can follow this lauki halwa and make the kaddu ki kheer, just add more milk to bring it to consistency.
Swasthi the recipe is easy and tasty my sister’s kid loved it ..thank u for sharing the recipe
Hi Supriya
Thanks for trying. Happy to know you liked it
Swasthi’s is super & very usefull to working women’s, thank u swasthi’s
Welcome Nandini
Glad to know the recipes are useful
Thanks for the comment
All nice and then useful
Thanks Geetha
yummy snack,luks tempting…
beast and healthy snack
nice presentation swasthi 🙂 it looks like normal rice.. nice preparation too 🙂
Delicious puffed rice upma…Happy and safe Diwali 🙂
Delicious breakfast…Happy Diwali…
puffed rice??? for a second i thought it looked like rice 🙂 looks so good… Happy Diwali to you dear
looks so delicious.mmm:)
Upma looks delicious.
This is my favourite swasthi:) love it