This Quinoa Upma is a more wholesome take on the traditional upma. It makes a hearty breakfast and is also vegan and you can make it in the Instant Pot on stovetop.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml, I used avocado oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • generous pinch of hing (also known as asafoetida)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chana dal
  • 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (finely chopped)
  • 1 green chili (finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon peanuts (raw)
  • 1 tablespoon cashews (broken)
  • 1 medium red onion (chopped)
  • 7-8 curry leaves
  • 1/3 cup green peas (frozen)
  • 1 cup quinoa (rinsed very well)
  • 1 & 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (or to taste)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, to garnish)

Method

  1. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and then the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add hing and chana and urad dal and cook 30 seconds.
  2. Then add ginger, green chili, peanuts and cashews. Cook for around 1 minutes and then add the onion and curry leaves. Cook for 3 minutes until the onions soften and then add the green peas.
  3. Stir in the quinoa along with 1 & 1/4 cups of water. Add extra 1/4 cup water if you prefer softer quinoa or if you have a 8qt instant pot. Also add lemon juice and salt and mix everything.
  4. Pressure cook on high pressure for 2 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork, add chopped cilantro and serve hot!

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.