Rava Upma is the not-so-popular breakfast/dinner item. The best part is I am the only one who is not a big fan of Semolina UPma and none of the others in my house mind it. When I mentioned that I am going to make a very simple dish for the alphabet U, they were actually excited to eat it as it has been a while since I made this simple Uppittu. Whenever given a chance, I would be making Semiya / Vermicelli Upma or Arisi Upma. Recently, I made Rava / semolina kichadi and it was delicious. So, I went ahead with my decision to make the simple Rava Upma, and glad I made it. My boys loved it with coconut chutney and this was the first time, they ate it completely with chutney without asking for sugar or ketchup on the side. You heard it right, who eats Upma with ketchup? If you are looking for more Upma inspiration, check them out here - Upma Recipes. The Rava Upma is considered a very easy and quick-to-make breakfast or dinner. When rushed in time and have minimal ingredients to work with, these recipes come to the rescue. I added a little bit of frozen carrot and peas as I dislike serving any dish without vegetables in it. The beauty of this Semolina Upma dish is in the texture and color. A few things to keep in mind, when making the Upma, is to not fry the semolina too much that it changes color. This is the reason, I do not buy roasted semolina from the stores. Those are always over-roasted and too dark for my preference. The Uppittu that my mother makes always is frosty white. The other thing that would change the color of the Upma is over-caramelizing the onions. Make sure that you saute the onions only until they are translucent. The Upma would taste great just with onions, but I added a little bit of carrots and peas.
My Other Posts in the A – Z Explore the Flavors Series
A for Akki Roti B for Baghrir with Orange Butter Sauce C for Chickpeas Shawarma D for Double Ka Meetha E for Esquites F for Farro Salad G for Gur Papdi H for Hayagreeva Maddi I for Idli J for Jau Ki Papdi K for Karthigai Pori L for Lemon Chia Seeds Muffin M for Mysore Pak N for Narali Bhath O for Oatmeal Payasam P for Pav Bhaji Q for Quinoa Brown Rice Adai R for Rajgira Aloo Poori S for Samosa T for Thinai Sweet Paniyaram Preparation time - 5 minutesCooking time - 20 minutesDifficulty level - Easy
Ingredients to make Uppittu - (serves 4)
Rava / Semolina - 1 ½ cups Water - 2 ½ cups to 3 cups Onion - 1 large (thinly sliced) Carrot - ¼ cup Green peas - ¼ cup Oil/ghee - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Kadalai paruppu / chana dal - 2 tsp Green chilies - 5 to 6 Ginger - ½ inch piece (grated) Curry leaves - few Asafetida - ¼ tsp Coconut - ½ cup (grated) Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Salt - to taste
Procedure to make Rava Upma -
In a wide pan, dry roast the rava / semolina until it is aromatic and just begins to change the color. Do not let it become brown. It just needs to slightly begin to change color. It takes about 5 to 7 minutes in low to medium flame.
Remove the roasted rava on a plate and in the same pan, heat the oil or ghee. I use a combination of both.
Add the mustard seeds and chana dal and let it fry for a few seconds. Add the asafetida, curry leaves, onions, and green chilies and fry until the onions are translucent. Do not let the onions change color as it will alter the color of the Uppittu / Upma.
Now add the carrots and the peas and let it cook until they soften.
Add the water and the coconut gratings along with salt and let the water come to a boil.
Slowly add the roasted semolina to the boiling water and keep stirring with the other hand. The rava would clump up if not stirred, so constantly stir the mixture.
The mixture will thicken very quickly after we add the rava. Keep the heat low and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to allow the rava to cook. If needed, sprinkle a little water to make sure that the semolina cooks well.
Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice. Mix again and serve hot with coconut chutney!
Other Breakfast Ideas
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