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Semiya Upma | Easy Vermicelli Recipe
4.8 from 60 votes

Semiya Upma | Easy Vermicelli Recipe

Semiya Upma is a savoury vermicelli dish made by roasting semiya and then cooking it with spices, mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, onions, ginger, chili, and curry leaves. This creates a textured, flavorful dish with subtle spice and aromatic seasoning that can be enjoyed as a breakfast, snack, or light meal. Adding coriander and lemon wedges brightens the flavors at serving.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 3
Calories: 395 kcal
Course: Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vermicelli or 185 grams semiya, you can also use rice vermicelli, broken semiya, seviyan or whole wheat vermicelli
  • 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil or ghee (clarified butter, generic cooking oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 onion finely chopped or ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, medium sized
  • ½ teaspoon ginger or ½ inch ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 green chili - chopped
  • 1 dry red chili - whole or broken and seeds removed - optional
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
  • 2 cups water or add as required
  • ½ teaspoon sugar (optional) or add as required
  • salt as required
  • 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves cilantro, chopped
  • lemon while serving seviyan upma, few wedges

Instructions

Roasting semiya
    Cup of Yum
  1. Firstly heat a heavy kadai or pan. Keep the flame to a low. Take the semiya strands and break them. Add the semiya strands in the kadai.
  2. On a low flame begin to roast the semiya. Stir often when roasting vermicelli.
  3. Roast till the semiya strands become golden. Some strands won’t become golden but its fine as they will be roasted and cooked.
  4. Remove the roasted semiya in a separate bowl or plate. Keep aside.
Making semiya upma
  1. Heat oil or ghee in a pan. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
  2. Add the mustard seeds and let them begin to crackle. 
  3. Then add urad dal and cumin seeds. Fry them till they get browned.
  4. When the urad dal begins to become light golden, then add cashews. 
  5. Mix well and fry till the urad dal turns golden. 
  6. Then add chopped onions. Next add curry leaves, ginger, green chill, red chili and asafoetida. 
  7. Mix very well and sauté till the onions become translucent
  8. Now add water, salt and sugar and let the mixture come to a rolling boil.
Cooking vermicelli upma
  1. Lower the heat and add the roasted vermicelli.
  2. Stir and cook the vermicelli till they become soft and all the water is absorbed.
  3. Keep on stirring in between.
  4. When the vermicelli is cooked completely and all the water is absorbed, switch off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves. 
  5. Serve the semiya upma garnished with a few coriander leaves along with some lemon or lime wedges. 
  6. This savory dish also tastes good as is without any sides.

Notes

  • If using pre-roasted vermicelli, roast lightly again to enhance flavor before cooking.
  • Adjust water quantity based on the vermicelli type to avoid mushy texture.
  • Optionally substitute cashews with roasted peanuts for crunch.
  • The recipe scales well for different serving sizes.

Nutrition Information

Calories 395kcal (20%) Carbohydrates 70g (23%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 199mg (8%) Potassium 124mg (3%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 260IU (5%) Vitamin C 79.4mg (88%) Calcium 38mg (4%) Iron 1.2mg (7%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 395

% Daily Value*

Calories 395kcal 20%
Carbohydrates 70g 23%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 199mg 8%
Potassium 124mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 260IU 5%
Vitamin C 79.4mg 88%
Calcium 38mg 4%
Iron 1.2mg 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.