In the southern states of India, upma is a popular breakfast staple—made with semolina flour (locally known as suji or rava), veggies, herbs and spices.
Rava upma is a delectable, flavourful, savoury and beloved South Indian recipe, made with semolina flour, some lentils, veggies, nuts, spices and herbs. This traditional breakfast recipe involves cooking rava in water flavoured with ghee, urad dal (white lentils), cashews, chana dal (husked and split Bengal gram), ginger, onion, green chillies and curry leaves. You may add sugar to achieve a mildly sweet taste.
This steaming hot healthy dish can be enjoyed by vegans too; replace ghee with plant-based oil to make it vegan. If you want to try something healthy and new for breakfast, follow the cooking instructions below.
Heat a kadai or pan and add 1 cup suji or rava (fine variety). Roast the rava until its grains exude a fragrant aroma and appear dry, crisp and separated. Don’t roast until the rava turns brown. Remove the pan from the flame once the rava appears crisp and dry. Transfer the roasted rava to a bowl and set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil to a pan and heat it. You may alternatively use peanut, sunflower or safflower oil. Lower the flame and add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds produce a crackling sound, it indicates they are frying.
Next, add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of chana dal, and 1 teaspoon urad dal to the pan. Stir all the ingredients and fry until the urad and chana dal acquire a golden-brown colour. Add 10 to 15 cashew nuts and fry on medium-low flame. When the cashews turn golden, both the dal should acquire a golden hue, too.
Then, add ⅓ cup of finely diced onions to the pan. Sauté the onions on medium-low flames until they become translucent and mushy. Next, add 1 teaspoon of finely diced green chillies, 1 teaspoon of chopped ginger and eight or nine curry leaves. You may also add a dried red chilli (halved and remove the seeds). Mix everything well and sauté for about 15 to 30 seconds.
Add 2½ cups of water to the mixture and salt as per taste. Stir the concoction well. Next, pour 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional), if you want your rava upma to have a mild sweet flavour. Continue stirring on a medium-high flame, and heat the water until it achieves a rolling boiling point.
Lower the flame after the water reaches the boiling point. Then transfer the roasted rava in 3 to 5 batches. After adding every batch of rava, stir immediately to ensure the roasted rava gets evenly mixed with the water.
Continue adding and mixing till the last batch. Slowly the rava grains will swell after absorbing water, and get cooked. Cover the pan with a lid, allowing the rava upma to steam for a few minutes on low flame.
Lastly, turn off the flame and your rava upma is ready. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for a flavour boost and mix again.
Your upma is ready to be served with pickle, coconut chutney, papad, peanut podi, or sambhar. You can now prepare this nutritious and delicious breakfast recipe for your family and friends.
