Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those ‘salt mango tree’ mistranslations we laugh about — this uppumavu is the real deal, made even better with a secret hack from Soji Samson’s breakfast hits.
Uppumavu is a cozy South Indian breakfast staple, simple yet endlessly comforting. It pairs wonderfully with raw small banana, kadala curry, sugar, or even a spoon of ghee if you’re feeling indulgent.
In butter, fry the mustard seeds, green chili, onion and rava (semolina). Do not over fry, as it is already roasted semolina. Do not let it become brown.
Add sugar and little salt.
Sprinkle the milk while stirring continuously, just until the mixture is evenly moistened — avoid turning it into a paste!
Keep the flame low and pour 1/4 cup water around the mixture. Add the scraped coconut, cover, and let it steam until fully cooked.
Once cooked (approx. 5 minutes), gently cut through the mixture using a flattened metal spatula (ചട്ടുകം) to loosen it and prevent it from sticking together.
Add more scrapped coconut as desired for garnishing. This dish is extremely delicious with buttered banana fries!