Add the rice flour, chili powder, asafoetida, and salt to a bowl and mix it well to combine.

Soak the tamarind in hot water for about 10 minutes and then extract the juice. Add this juice to the flour mixture and combine them well until it forms a crumbly dough. The dough should hold up when made into a ball and then crumble when broken.

In a wide pan (non-stick or something heavy-bottomed), add the oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Now add the urad dal and the curry leaves and let it fry for about 10 seconds.

Crumble the dough mixture and add it to the pan. Mix well and cook over low to medium flame. Make sure you cover the pan when cooking so the flour cooks well. Stir every now and then to avoid burning in the bottom of the pan. If the mixture is sticking too much in the bottom of the pan, then you might need to add a little more oil.

Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the upma has browned up a bit and starts forming crust in the bottom.

Serve warm with chutney or sugar!