Semiya Upma | Vermicelli Upma

Semiya Upma is a healthy, vegan, and savory South Indian breakfast recipe made with vermicelli, vegetables, and spices. Also known as vermicelli upma, sevai upma, or seviyan upma, it is easy to make and ready in 30 mins. Perfect for breakfast, snack, easy dinner, or lunchbox!!

I’m sharing how to make Semiya upma recipe using the stovetop and Instant Pot with easy step-by-step photos and video. 

Semiya upma (vermicelli upma) is one of our favorite weekend breakfast recipes!!  My younger one calls it noodles upma since it looks like spaghetti to her. 

Sevai Kheer a sweet dish made using vermicelli is also our favorite and definitely, a must-try. 

This Vermicelli Upma is 

• Quick and easy
• Ready in 30 mins 
• Vegan recipe
• Loaded with veggies
• Healthy and delicious
• Meal prep friendly

Upma or Rava Upma is a popular Indian breakfast recipe made with semolina (Suji, rava), veggies, and flavored with curry leaves and basic spices. 

There are many varieties of upma where the preparation is almost the same but the main ingredient changes like rava, poha, bread, sabudana, oats, quinoa, and so on.

Semiya upma is one such variation of Rava Upma which as the name suggests is made using Vermicelli.

Vermicelli is known as semiya in South India, shevaya in Marathi, and seviyan in Hindi. Apart from savory recipes, it is also used for many sweet dishes like Vermicelli Kheer, meethi seviyan, sheer kurma, etc. 

Seviyan Upma is a healthy and savory recipe made with vermicelli, veggies, and spices. It is also known as Vermicelli upma or Semiya Pulao or biryani or Namkeen Seviyan (savory vermicelli recipe).

Semiya upma is a healthy, quick, and easy meal that you can fix in less than 30 mins. making it an excellent breakfast, snack, or easy dinner option. It makes a great lunchbox recipe too!!

You can make vermicelli upma on the stovetop in a pan or Instant Pot (my preferred way). Either way, it comes out perfect and fluffy, and not sticky or mushy!! 

So let's see how to make Vermicelli upma with vegetables and what we will need to make it!

Recipe Ingredients

Vermicelli: is also known as Sevai or semiya or seviyan or shevaya. It looks very similar to the pasta variety called spaghetti but thinner and is sometimes broken into smaller pieces. It is easily available in Indian grocery stores.

For this recipe, we will be using roasted wheat or semolina vermicelli. If you are unable to find roasted Vermicelli, you can buy an unroasted variety and roast it before using in this recipe. I use Bambino or MTR roasted vermicelli.

Veggies - I prefer using a red onion, tomato, bell pepper (red and green), mix veggies (fresh or frozen, I've used frozen) like green peas, carrots, corn, and green beans. You can add veggies of your choice. 

Boiled potatoes or finely chopped potatoes can also be used. Or add some paneer pieces for that protein boost.

For tempering - oil (canola or vegetable oil), mustard seeds (rai), cumin seeds (zeera), asafoetida (hing), curry leaves, green chili, ginger.

You can also add some urad dal and chana dal to the tadka along with cumin. Add chopped cilantro (coriander) stems with curry leaves (these are optional but add great flavor).

Spices and seasoning - Just basic, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala. 

Finishing touches - Lemon juice, and cilantro. You can also add some roasted cashews or peanuts if you like some crunch.

Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements of ingredients. 

Step by Step Method (Instant Pot)

Stovetop Instructions

There are two ways to make semiya upma in a pan on the stovetop. The tempering steps (1-6) remain the same as mentioned in the Instant Pot method above just the cooking style for Vermicelli changes.

One-pot method: Cook the vermicelli in the same pan as the tempering and veggies. Use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of vermicelli. Add vermicelli to boiling water, stir to prevent lumps. Cover, and cook on low heat until water is absorbed and vermicelli is done. Rest for 5-10 mins. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Boil the vermicelli first: cook the vermicelli separately in water (like pasta), drain completely, coat with a light layer of oil, rest until you make the tempering, then stir fry it with tempering, and veggies. (This is my preferred way for stovetop for fluffy upma).

Serving Suggestion

Serve Semiya upma hot garnished with more cilantro and/or sev (savory snack made with chickpea flour), with your chai for breakfast or snack.

Alternatively, you can also pair it with some sambar and/or chutney for that awesome brunch option too!!

To add more protein, top it with some fried egg or boil eggs or serve with a side of yogurt.

Recipe Tips

Vermicelli - Use wheat semolina vermicelli for this upma recipe as it gives the best results. I prefer Bambino or MTR brand vermicelli.

Use roasted vermicelli - There are 2 kinds of Semiya or vermicelli available - roasted and unroasted.  Use roasted vermicelli as it makes the upma nice and fluffy and doesn't cause the noodles to stick.

Water ratio - The water to vermicelli ratio is very important and can make or break the recipe. For the Bambino variety of roasted vermicelli, usually, 1.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of Vermicelli works best with an Instant pot. Thin variety vermicelli will need less water. (1:1) and cook faster.  

Boil Vermicelli( for stovetop) - If you are making vermicelli upma in a pan on the stovetop, I recommend boiling the vermicelli first like pasta, drain completely, and then add it to the tempering and veggies mixture. That ensures fluffy Semiya upma that is not sticky. 

Fluffy Upma - The trick to fluffy upma is to not overmix it and fluff it using a fork. Allow it to rest for 5 mins covered, this allows it to settle and absorb any excess liquid and turn fluffy and separate vs sticky and mushy.

Customize - You can add veggies and spices to your choice. You can also add roasted cashews and peanuts for crunch. 

Double the recipe - This recipe can be easily doubled. Cooking time remains the same for Instant pot and will increase slightly for the stovetop.

Meal prep - This recipe is meal prep friendly. You can chop all the veggies ahead of time. Boil the Vermicelli (not required if making in an Instant pot), drain the water, coat with oil, and store refrigerated for 1-2 days.

Frequently asked questions 

More Indian Breakfast recipes

Hope you enjoy this Vermicelli upma recipe !! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!

Update Notes: This post was originally published on Aug 9, 2012, but was republished with, step by step instructions, new photos, tips, and a video in August of 2021.