Upma Recipe (How to Make Rava Upma)

3 standard portions

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Ingredients

• 1 cup sooji/rava (semolina, 182 grams)
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons oil (or can use ghee, I used avocado oil)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• generous pinch of hing (also known as asafetida)
• 7-8 raw cashews (broken)
• 1 teaspoon chana dal (soaked in water for 10 mins)
• 1 teaspoon urad dal dhuli (soaked in water for 10 mins)
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 small red onion (chopped, around 70 grams)
• 1 green chili (chopped, or to taste)
• 12 curry leaves
• 3 tablespoons green peas (frozen)
• 3 cups water (24 oz)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (+ more to garnish)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ghee
• lemon wedges (to serve)

Method

1. Start by roating the sooji on medium heat in a pan for around 5 to 6 minutes until it is fragrant. Be careful not to burn it, so stir continuously while roasting. Then remove the roasted sooji in a bowl or plate.
2. Now, to the same pan add the oil on medium heat and then add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Once the mustard seeds pop, add the hing, cashews, chana and urad dal and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute until they become light golden or start changing color.
3. Then add the chopped onion, green chili and the curry leaves. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add the green peas (I used frozen green peas which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and when use in the recipe.) Cook the peas for around 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
5. Now, add 3 cups of water and stir. Add the salt, cilantro and lemon juice and stir to combined. You may also add 1/2 teaspoon sugar at this point if you like, I did not add any. Let the water come to a boil.
6. Once the water starts boiling, start adding the roasted sooji, little at a time. Mix sooji after each addition in one direction with a wooden spatula. This will minimize lump formation. Add all the sooji in similar way, little by little until all of it is absorbed by water.
7. Once all the sooji has been added, cover the the pan with a lid and set heat to low. Let it remain like that for 2 mins.
8. After 2 minutes, turn off the heat and open the lid. Add 1 teaspoon ghee (optional but recommended) . Mix the ghee with everything else and cover the pan with the lid again and let it stay like that for 1 more minute. Now, open the lid and fluff the upma with a fork.
9. Serve upma hot with a cup of chai and a side of coconut chutney and lemon wedge.