Rava Upma / Semolina Upma

To the few diligent readers of my blog, my apologies for posting so many upma recipes that are far too simple and basic for you! But upmas are such quintessential dishes in the South-Indian community, that in keeping with the main objective of this blog, I think they have to be recorded, however mundane they appear today. After this upma recipe, I promise to not post another upma recipe for a long long time!

Rava upma is considered as the mother of all upmas. It is the most common form of upma that features routinely in South-Indian families. It is often regarded as an easy quick-fix and a pre-evening "tiffin". 

Rava upma is commonly prepared with just onion, but I added broccoli along with onions. You can add any vegetable of your choice. 

Ingredients (serves 6):

1. 1.75 cups of semi-coarse rava / semolina
2. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
4. 2 teaspoons split urad dal / split black gram / ulutham paruppu
5. 2 teaspoons bengal gram / kadala paruppu / channa dal
6. 1 tablespoon skinned peanuts
7. 2 teaspoons minced ginger
8. 2 green chillies, sliced
9. a sprig of curry leaves
10. 1 red onion, finely chopped
11. 2 heads of broccoli, chopped
12. 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
13. 2 teaspoons of ghee / clarified butter
14. salt, as needed

Preparation:

1. Dry roast the rava on medium heat until it begins to change color. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan. When hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Add urad dal, bengal gram, peanuts, curry leaves, and green chillies and fry until the dals begin to change color. 
3. Add minced ginger and onion and fry until soft.
4. Add broccoli and some salt and saute for 5 minutes. 
5. Add 4.25 cups of water (3 cups of water for every 1 cup of rava), and bring to a boil. 
6. When the water is boiling, slowly add the rava and stir continuously to avoid lumps. 
7. Reduce the heat to low, close the pan and let the rava cook. The rava will cook fast (usually within 5 minutes). Check and stir the rava gently until all the water is absorbed and the upma comes together. Add coconut oil and ghee to flavor the upma and make it more moist. 

 Serve with sambar, chutney or even sugar. As kids, we used to love rava upma with sugar!