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Rava upma
Savoury semolina porridge
Rava upma: South Indian roasted semolina with mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger and green chilli
Rava upma is breakfast in countless homes across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, and the dish every South Indian student learns to cook first. Semolina is roasted until it smells nutty, then stirred into boiling water flavoured with a tempering of mustard seeds, urad and chana dal, curry leaves, ginger and green chilli, so it swells into a soft, fluffy, savoury porridge. Serve it with coconut chutney, a little pickle or a banana. The classic mistake is pouring the rava into water that is not boiling, or all at once, which gives lumps. Chef's tip: roast the rava in advance and keep it in a jar; roasted rava makes lump-free upma in ten minutes on a busy morning.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 6 ½ oz fine semolina (rava/sooji)
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
For the tempering
- 3 tbsp sunflower or coconut oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp split urad dal
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 10 cashews (optional)halved
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tbsp fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 onionmedium, finely chopped
To finish
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Dry-roast 6 ½ oz fine semolina (rava/sooji) in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it smells toasty and the grains look dry and separate, but have not browned, about 5 minutes. Tip it onto a plate.
5 minStep 2: Put 2 ¼ cups water on to boil in a kettle or pan.
3 minStep 3: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower or coconut oil in the same pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds; when they pop, add 1 tsp split urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal and 10 cashews and stir until golden, about 1 minute.
1 minStep 4: Add 10 curry leaves, 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 2 green chillies, then 1 onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
3 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low. Pour in the rava in a thin stream with one hand while stirring hard with the other, so no lumps form. It will thicken within a minute.
1 minStep 7: Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 2 minutes, until the rava has swollen and the upma comes away from the sides of the pan.
2 minStep 8: Fluff with a fork, stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve hot; it firms up as it cools.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rava upma take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of black mustard seeds?
- Cumin seeds, same amount (different flavour, same crackle).
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