Samak Rice Upma Recipe

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This Samak Rice Upma is a perfect dish for Navratri fasting—it’s light, nutritious, easy to digest, and comforting!

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

side close up shot of falahari samak rice upma for Navratri

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Ingredients You’ll Need
How To Make Falahari Upma
Serving Suggestion
My Tried and True Tips
Samak Rice Upma Recipe

Navratri is a time for devotion, celebration, and observing fasts (Vrat). While fasting, it’s essential to eat meals that are both wholesome and compliant with the traditional farali (fasting-friendly) ingredients.

Samak rice is a type of millet, not a true rice grain, making it a popular choice for Hindu fasts. It is rich in fiber, protein, and minerals like Iron and Calcium, making it a healthier and more filling alternative to many other fasting foods.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Samak Rice or barnyard millet is the key ingredient for making this falahari upma. you can use it to make kheer also.
Peanuts give a nice crunch to the upma
Paneer makes the samak rice upma more filling and protein rich.
Potato, peeled and cut it into small cubes.
Ghee to roast all the ingredients for upma.
Seasoning: Black Pepper Powder, Rock Salt (sendha namak), Cumin Seeds (jeera)
Sliced Coconut is optional, but I like the taste of it in upma.
Ginger, Green Chilli, Curry Leaves, Lemon Juice, Coriander Leaves

How To Make Falahari Upma

1. Preparation (The Crucial Step!)

Place the Samak rice in a bowl, wash it 2-3 times until the water runs clear.
Soak it in fresh water for 1 – 2 hours. This soaking time is key for soft, even cooking, and also this makes millet easy to digest.

Dice the potato, paneer, and chop the chillies, ginger, and coriander leaves.

2. Tempering & Sautéing

Heat Ghee in a pressure cooker.
Add tempering ingredients (cumin, peanuts). Let them splutter.

cooking samak rice upma in a pressure cooker

Add green chillies, ginger, potato, coconut, and curry leaves. Sauté for 20 – 30 seconds.

3. Cooking the Upma

Drain the soaked Samak rice completely.
Add the drained Samak rice, Sendha Namak (rock salt), paneer cubes, and black pepper powder to the pan. Mix gently and sauté for about a minute.

making samak rice upma in a pressure cooker

Pour water. Seal the pressure cooker. Cook over low heat for one whistle.

4. Final Touches

Turn off the heat. Let the steam release naturally from the pressure cooker.
Fluff the upma using a fork. This allows the grains to fluff up beautifully.
Add lemon juice, ghee (optional) and chopped coriander leaves.

aerial shot of vrat ka upma in a pressure cooker

Serving Suggestion

Serve your hot and delicious Samak Rice Upma with:

Plain Curd for a cooling contrast.
Vrat Wali Green Chutney: A fresh chutney made with coriander, mint, green chillies, and Sendha Namak.
Coconut Chutney made without garlic.
A simple pudina or lauki raita cooked with falahari ingredients.

side close up shot of samak rice upma for Navratri.

My Tried and True Tips

Water Ratio: The traditional ratio of Samak rice to water is 1:2. Use the higher amount for a softer, more khichdi-like consistency.
Spice Check: Always confirm the ingredients permitted in your family’s Navratri fast. Some families avoid curry leaves, ginger, or even black pepper. Adjust accordingly.
Oil Substitute: If you prefer, you can use coconut oil or groundnut oil instead of ghee.
Instant Pot Method: For quick cooking, use an Instant Pot! Sauté the ingredients, add the drained millet and water (use 2 cups water for 1 cup millet), close the lid, and cook on Pressure Cook (High) for 8 minutes, followed by a Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for 5 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure manually.

More Navratri Recipes for fasting

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Ingredients You’ll Need