Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Idli Upma Recipe (Leftover Idli Recipes) is a vegetarian South Indian breakfast, snack made with simple everyday ingredients in about 10 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Breakfast, Snack
- Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients
- 6 Idli ((or rava idli, ragi idli, any idli))
- 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ((jeera))
- 1½ teaspoon chana dal
- 1½ teaspoon urad dal
- 2 tablespoons peanuts (or cashew nuts)
- 1 pinch hing (/ asafoetida (optional))
- 1 onion (small to medium, thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (fine chopped or grated)
- 1 to 2 sprig curry leaves
- 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped or slit)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt ((use only if needed))
- 1 tablespoons coriander leaves
- 2 to 4 tablespoons coconut (grated, fresh or frozen (optional))
Method
How to Make Idli Upma
- Firstly to make idli upma, crumble the refrigerated idlis. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds.
- When they begin to splutter, add dals, peanuts and fry until the peanuts are golden & aromatic.
- Add onions, curry leaves, green chilies and ginger.
- Saute just for 1 to 2 mins until the onions turn slightly pale.
- If the pan is too hot sprinkle 1 tablespoon water and add turmeric and hing.
- Add the crumbled idlis, coconut and coriander leaves. Mix everything well.
- Lower the flame and cook covered until the crumbled idlis turn hot.
- Taste test and adjust salt as needed.
- Serve idli upma hot with idli podi, peanut podi or just with tea.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.
