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quinoa upma served in abowl topped with cashew and coriander and peanut chutney on the side.
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5 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Quinoa Upma

Different spin on a traditional upma made with Quinoa.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 3
Author: Madhavi

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup mixed vegetables ( green beans, peas, carrot, corn)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 green chili, finely chopped or to taste
  • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
  • 1.5 tsp tomato paste ( optional) or use 1 small tomato
  • 1.5 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp cashew
  • 12 curry leaves
  • 1.5 cups water (if cooking in instant pot) use 2 cups water for stove top method
  • salt to taste
  • freshly chopped coriander leaves
  • lemon juice to taste

Instructions

Rinse & Drain the quinoa-

  • Add quinoa in a large bowl and add plenty of water. Wash them thoroughly by rubbing with your hand. Repeat this step about 3 times. This will helps remove any bitterness from the quinoa. Using a strainer drain all the water.

Cooking in the Instant Pot -

  • Press the saute button on your instant pot and add oil. When the oil is hot add the cashew and saute till light brown. Remove and set a side.
  • Now add mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds or until the dal turns light brown.
  •  Add the sliced onion, ginger and green chili, cook for 2 to 3 minutes till onion turn light brown.
  • Add the mixed veggies and tomato paste (optional) and coat them with the oil. Add the rinsed quinoa and salt. Mix well.
  • Cancel the saute mode, add water and give a nice mix making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for salt and adjust.
  • Press the manual or pressure cooker mode and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Release the pressure after 10 minutes..You will observe that the upma is little wet, let it rest for few minutes, the upma will absorb the excess moisture.
  • But if you still feel the upma is still wet, just saute for couple of minutes to remove the excess moisture.
  • Add fresh coriander leaves, lemon juice and fried cashew. Serve the Quinoa Upma with peanut chutney or ginger pickle.

Cooking on Stove Top -

  • Heat oil in the pan and add the cashew. Fry it light brown, remove and set a side.
  • Add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Now add the urad dal, cumin seed and curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds or until the dal turns light brown.
  •  Add the sliced onion, ginger and green chili, cook for five minutes till onion turn light brown.
  • If using tomato add it now and cook till mushy. You can also add tomato paste if your prefer. Adding tomato or tomato paste is optional.
  • Add the mixed veggies and cook for a minute. Add the rinsed quinoa and salt. Mix well.
  • Add 2 cups of water, mix it well and cook on medium flame till all the water is absorbed. Cover the pan while cooking the upma.
  • It's done when there is no water and quinoa is cooked and looks fluffy.
  • Set a side for ten minutes.
  • Finally add some lemon juice, fried cashew and coriander leaves. Serve the quinoa upma with chutney or pickle.

Notes

After cooking the upma in the instant pot, you may feel the upma is still wet. Let it rest for few minutes before eating. The quinoa will dry up as it cools. If we add less water it tastes fine immediately but will dry up after sometime. 
Adding tomato paste is totally optional, I add it because it binds everything together and makes it more tasty.
If skipping the tomato paste, reduce the cooking time to three minutes.
The amount of water can vary depending on the type of quinoa used. If you feel the quinoa is wet, cook for couple more minutes on low flame.
If the upma is too dry, sprinkle some water and simmer for 5 minutes and let rest for 10 minutes before enjoying.