Name: Murmura Upma
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoon Oil; 5 Curry Leaves; ½ teaspoon Jeera ~ Cumin Seeds; ¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds; 3 tablespoons Peanuts; 6 Green Chillies, chopped; Curry Leaves; 1 small Onion, chopped; 3 Garlic Cloves (crushed, approximately 2-3 tsp); ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder; ¾ teaspoon Salt to taste; 10 cups Murmura or Puffed Rice; Lime Juice (optional); Cilantro chopped for garnish

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Murmura or Indian puffed rice sauteed with onion, green chilies, lots of garlic and nuts, that sounds delicious, isn't it! It is murmura upma, a quick, vegan, gluten free, 15 minutes snack and a light meal.

There are numerous murmura recipes in India and murmura upma is one of them. Mamra upma is also called uggani, pori upma, mandakki susla in different regions of South India.

bowl of murmura upma with a fork spoon on a green napkin.

About the recipe

Uggani is a popular street food in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and a popular combination is uggani with mirchi bajji. My version of upma is slightly different from uggani.

Uggani calls for tomatoes and powdered putnalu (dalia or friedgram) powder. I don't add those and instead prefer lime juice and peanuts. In fact, my preparation of marma is similar to atukulu though it is called upma.

Difference between mamra upma and rava or semiya upma is that, we cook rava or semiya in water whereas, in this recipe, we just wash puffed rice and then saute. Regardless of how it is prepared and what it is called, it is a scrumptious dish.

In general puffed rice recipes are quick to put together and make a wonderful breakfast, snack and a light meal. We often opt for puffed rice upma for dinner. Some puffed rice recipes Indian style are jhal muri, bheI puri and maramarala mixture.

One of my favorite snacks is pelalu ellipaya miram (murmura with garlic chili powder), a popular Telangana snack, which is a cousin of bhel puri. Mamra is mixed with chopped onion, crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, oil, peanuts or putnalu.

Ingredients

Puffed Rice - I use both basmati and regular murmara. Both work fine. There are thicker varieties also available in the market. If using those, after washing mamra, let it sit for some time to soften it.
Chilies - I use green chilies but you can use a combination of red and chopped green chilies.
Garlic - I love garlic and am liberal with its usage. You can use less if you wish.
Peanuts - optional and sometimes I skip. If this is our only dish on the menu, I add peanuts for some protein.
Tempering - You will need the basic and minimal ingredients; oil, mustard seeds, cumin, mustard seeds and turmeric.

Step by Step Instructions:

Step by step collage of murmura upma preparation; washing murmura, squeezing water from washed murmura and putting in a strainer.

Take puffed rice in a big bowl or vessel and fill it with water (#1 in collage). Add enough water to soak puffed rice. Push puffed rice into the vessel to let it soak in water. Once it is wet, using both your clean hands, take a handful of rice and press it between your hands to squeeze out the water (#2-3). Put it in a strainer or a colander (#4).

Collage of step by step preparation; heat oil in a pan, toast cumin & mustard in it, then roast peanuts followed by curry leaves & green chilies.

Heat oil in a 10’’ pan (#5), add jeera and mustard (#6). When mustard seeds start spluttering, add peanuts (#7) and lightly roast. Then add green chillies, curry leaves and saute for a few seconds(#8).

Collage of step by step preparation; saute onions, garlic, then add turmeric & salt.

Now add onions (#9) and saute until onions are translucent. Add crushed garlic (#10) and saute for fews seconds. Mix in turmeric (#11) and salt (#12).

To this add washed murmura (#13) and mix well (#14). Cook for a few minutes, about 3-5 minutes on medium heat. Add cilantro (#15) mix, transfer to serving bowl (#16) and serve immediately. You can squeeze some lime if you like it.

Serving

Murmura upma doesn't need any side dish. You can add some chopped onion and lime juice. It is a popular street food in some regions and is served with mirchi bajji (green chili fritters).

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in a tight container. Reheat in the microwave before serving.

Variations

Tomatoes - When preparing the tempering, cook chopped tomatoes until mushy and then add washed murmura. This gives mamra a tangy flavor.
Veggies - Add some chopped carrots and green peas to increase the nutritional value. You can add these veggies once onions are soft.

Tips

Do not leave washed murmura for too long. Cook it right away. 5-10 minutes is ok. Leaving it for too long could result in a soggy upma.

📖 Recipe

Murmura Upma

Murmura upma is puffed rice sautéed with onions, green chilies and garlic. A quick, scrumptious, vegan, gluten free, under 20 minutes snack.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Evening Snack, Light Meal

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 563kcal

Author: usha

Equipment

1 Big Bowl or a Pot
1 Strainer or a Colander
1 10" Frying pan
1 Wooden Spoon or a Spatula

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Oil
5 Curry Leaves
½ teaspoon Jeera ~ Cumin Seeds
¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
3 tablespoons Peanuts
6 Green Chillies, chopped
Curry Leaves
1 small Onion, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves crushed, approximately 2-3 tsp
½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
¾ teaspoon Salt to taste
10 cups Murmura or Puffed Rice
Lime Juice optional
Cilantro chopped for garnish

Instructions

Do the prep work; chop onions, cut green chilies and crush garlic.
Wash murmura and squeeze all the water from it and keep aside.
In a pan heat oil, add jeera and mustard seeds.
When mustard seeds start spluttering, add peanuts and lightly roast.
Then add green chillies, curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
Now add onions and saute until onions are translucent.
Add crushed garlic and saute for few seconds.
Add turmeric, salt and mix well.
Add the washed murmura and stir fry.
Stir fry for a few minutes, about 3-5 minutes on medium heat.
Add cilantro and serve immediately.
You can squeeze some lime juice,, if you wish.

Video

Notes

Tomatoes - For a variation, cook chopped tomatoes until mushy and then add washed murmura. This gives mamra a tangy flavor.
Veggies - Add some chopped carrots and green peas to increase the nutritional value. You can add these veggies once onions are soft.
Tip - Do not leave washed murmura for too long. Cook it right away. 5-10 minutes is ok. Leaving it for too long could result in a soggy upma.
Nutrition - Values listed below are approximate.

Nutrition

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This post was originally published in Jun 2008. It is republished with new content and images.

Comments

5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

Murmura Upma

About the recipe

Ingredients

Step by Step Instructions:

Serving

Storage

Variations

Tips

📖 Recipe