Idly upma – 3 styles of Leftover idli recipes

Leftover idlis! no worries, here are three ways to upgrade those leftover goodies to one of the most loved breakfasts. this quick and easy make over idea takes less than 10 minutes and guarantees a happy tummy.

What is your favourite breakfast?

 We did not need much cajoling to admit it is an idly or dosa. If you prompt a seasoned South Indian mum as to. what we do when we get bored of idlies, we say idly upma!! Now, I do get that it doesn’t take any effort to crumble up so idlies and call it upma. When we call it idly upma it is certainly not just crushed idlies!! We go through elaborate efforts to complete the makeover. 

In this post, you have three varieties of idly upmas that I love to discuss – my mums, my mother-in-laws and mine. The first two people are the ones who shaped and groomed my culinary skills, Mum is fantastic in the kitchen with heavy Kerala influences and loves her pickles podis and preserves. Mother-in-law on the other hand has a in-depth knowledge of traditional Tamil dishes and has influences from her Udupi stay. Though these two mums influence all my cuisine skills, my idly upma is different from theirs they certainly are three different flavours as well. As you read on, another mum needs your attention today. 

Mum’s sliced upma

As a child I hated anything crushed, sticky or squished. So, ma stopped crushing the idly instead she sliced the Since the idlies puff up in the mould the slices had a beautiful oblong shape. Into the basic tempering, she added these sliced idlies and slow-roasted them in ghee. Even though it was perfectly made, it was rejected by me in those days. Think about it!! what a nerve!!

Here is the recipe for the basic Idly

Mother in laws idli upma

When it came to her there was hardly any asking if we like it or not! So I guess I should say, times change from being that single child who used to get away by throwing a tantrum to the eldest daughter-in-law expected to take in the reins!! I guess I changed mainly due to the flavour. So start with the crushed leftover idlies (she made a transition!!). The same south Indian mix for tempering(this is the uniting part in our recipes) The mustard crackles in the sesame oil and in goes the crushed idlies with a generous handful of homemade gunpowder or podi. Toss them around till they are well mixed. Here comes the magic.. the secret that made me eat it. A tbsp of sugar is sprinkled on the whole mix. This gives that sweet and spicy mix, so hot and yummy!!

Have you tried Malligai poo Idlies? here is the recipe link.

Now to mine with veggies.

I was big on veggies from the beginning. So apart from the best parts of various versions, I have nuts and veggies to go in the idly upma. The colour is turmeric as it contrasts well with green veggies. Most often it is the quick-cooking broccoli, shredded carrots and cabbage etc that hide in this recipe. Herbs….lots of them. The end result is more like a warm couscous than idly.
here we are,  the three women in my family have taken up different versions of the leftover idlis.

Trying new Idli variations – Try Quinoa and oats Idly

An appeal – For a special Mum.

While we are talking about mums, there is one more mum who needs you today. It is hard to hear your mum is unwell let alone you need to make things easier to make it easy on her. Here is a mum, who needs your attention. Since I personally know this family, Anindo was my Collegemate, I know this appeal would not have come unless it was difficult. It is also hard with medical coverage across the countries. It is harder to be the son/ daughter seeing what mum has to endure. So,  here is a straightforward appeal, support the Gofund appeal in any form you can. even if you can help to spread the word around, we will appreciate it. Every penny counts, every share makes it meaningful. Please do share and contribute. 

To this plating

The karandi or giant ladle here is a borrowed one from a sis-in-law!! It belonged to her grandmother. This is actually the vessel used to create the tempering that is characteristic of most South Indian dishes with the popped mustard seeds, the black gram dal, dried red chillies and tons of curry leaves. I am so thankful to her for sharing this beautiful iron vessel.
So here we are ready for the quantities and measurements of this recipe. Hope you have followed us on our Instagram or subscribed to this blog for all our musings. If not, don’t miss this journey. We will love to share it with you.