Malaika Arora Enjoys Healthy Upma, And We Can Help You Do The Same! (Upma Recipes Inside)

A Healthy breakfast ensures a healthy day, and Malaika Arora is here to show you the way!

Malaika Arora is quite the health freak and her food choices have always shown that. A lot of us do look up to her and try to follow her tips and tricks in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And this morning she gave us just the healthy push that we needed! Owning up to her maternal south Indian roots she has put up a story of a neatly plated upma which looks extremely tempting! Malaika is enjoying her upma topped with some cashew nuts, dried red chilli and curry leaves!

She has her upma on a blue plate and ironically calls herself a true ‘blue’ southy! Watch her story here.

If Malaika has given you an inspiration to try upmas for breakfast, here is a list of easy and unique upmas you can make to give a healthy kick-start to your day.

1. Soybean upma

Instead of using your regular sooji, you can now make upma with the help of soybeans. In a pan add mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chilli and let them crackle, to this add chopped vegetables of your choice. Add soybean keema and peanuts, cook for 5-10 mins more and your soybean upma is ready! Click for the full recipe here.

2. Curd upma

If you love your curd, you want to add it in every meal! And curd upma is just the right way to add it into breakfast! First, roast your sooji and keep it aside. Then in a pan heat ghee, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and wait for them to crackle. To this you can add ginger-garlic paste and onion but that is completely optional. Now add your beaten curd water and let is cook for a minute, add roasted sooji, stir continuously and your delicious curd upma is ready! Check here for the full recipe.

3. Semiya upma

This is a popular breakfast option in all south Indian households. You take a cup of vermicelli/semiya and roast it for 2-4 mins. In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, red chilli, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, chopped ginger and garlic. You can either add chopped tomatoes or tomato puree on top of this. Let it all cook for some time and add one and a half cup water and bring to a rolling boil. Finally add roasted semiya and cook till the water dries out. See the detailed recipe here.

4. Peas upma

Peas are always a welcome addition to a lot of Indian dishes and we can add peas to our plain upma to give it some extra flavour. In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. Curry leaves, urad dal, chopped ginger and sautee for a min. To this you can add onion but that’s optional. Now add the peas and sautee for 2-3 minutes before adding the sooji and water. Stir continuously and let it cook for another 5 mins. Garnish with some coriander chillies and even fried peas if you want to! Read the full recipe here.

Photo Credit: iStock

5. Bread upma

Really want to make upma but don’t have all the ingredients? Worry not, now you can enjoy the flavours of upma without the sooji as well! Making bread upma is easy and quick and you can choose healthier options by using brown bread or multigrain bread. First break your bread into tiny chunks. In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal, peanuts. To this add chopped garlic, ginger, onions tomatoes and cook for 2 mins. Once everything is well cooked and mushy, add your bread chunks cook for 2 mins until crispy and serve immediately. Garnish with coriander and enjoy! Read the detailed recipe here.

These were the 5 easy and great Upma recipes that you can make while trying to follow Malaika’s footsteps. We hope the mighty Upma keeps you happy and healthy!