Upma in all the South Indian languages means combining uppu + maavu (salt + flour) It works equally well for breakfast, lunch, dinner or in between meals. With the cross pollination of cooking styles over the last few decades, it’s not unusual to stumble upon poha or rava upma in urban homes in South India. However, it’s the traditional style upmas that still rule the roost here. Rava (Semolina) is usually the go-to ingredient for upma almost across South India.
Rava (Semolina/Sooji) Upma
Upma, derived from the combination of "uppu" (salt) and "maavu" (flour) in South Indian languages, is a versatile dish enjoyed throughout the day. They could be made with pretty any grain – Rice, Rava, Bread, Idli and even left over rotis!. The traditional Rava (Semolina) upma remains popular. Its adaptability and traditional appeal make it a staple across South India.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rava (Semolina)
- 1 inch Ginger
- 2 Green chillies
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 tsp Ghee to roast rava
- 2 1/2 cups Water
- Crush green chillies and ginger together using a mortar and pestle
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp Chana dal (Bengal gram)
- 1 tbsp Split Urad dal
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
- Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan, roast the rava till you get a good aroma. It should be lightly browned. This roasting will take 2 to 3 mins. Keep it aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in the same pan, add the seasonings, let it brown a bit and then add the crushed green chillies and ginger. Saute for a min.
- Add chopped onion and fry till it becomes transparent.
- Now add water, salt and let it boil.
- When the water starts to boil, keep in medium flame and slowly add rava to the water.
- You need to be very careful when adding the rava as it forms lumps. To avoid this keep stirring the water with a whisk while adding rava.
- Once the water is absorbed, simmer the flame, cover the pan and cook the upma for about 5 mins in low flame. Drizzle a tsp of ghee when done.
- Serve it hot with coconut chutney, idli podi or just ghee and sugar.
Tips
- Always roast rava before making upma because it makes it fluffy and doesn’t become like a paste. If you are using already roasted rava, you can skip this step.
- Rava : Water ratio = 1 : 1 and 1/2 This will give you fluffy upma.
- I use only ghee for roasting and cooking the upma because it gives an excellent flavor and I love ghee 🙂 You can also use oil if you are conscious.
- Use a whisk to stir continuously while adding rava to the water to avoid forming lumps.
- Add vegetables like green beans, carrot, or peas to the upma if you wish.
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