Upma Recipe (Rava Upma)

5 from 5 votes

Vegetable Rawa Upma is a flavorful and satisfying recipe made with simple ingredients and comes together in 30 minutes. In addition to that, it's hearty, wholesome, filling, and is the perfect recipe to start your day!

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Soaking time10

Total: 30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

1 cup Semolina also known as sooji, suji or rawa
1 tablespoon Oil
9 pieces of Cashews
½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 small Onion chopped
¼ cup Carrots finely chopped
7-8 pieces of Curry leaves
1½ teaspoons Chana Dal soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
¼ cup Frozen peas
½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- - Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon Sugar
4 cups Water
2 teaspoons Ghee

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dry roast the fine sooji or semolina on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes until fragrant.
Do not leave sooji unattended at any time as it may get burned; keep stirring continuously. Once done, transfer the roasted sooji to a clean plate and set it aside.
To the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add cashew pieces to the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden. Remove cashews from the pan and set them aside.
To the same pan, add the remaining oil. Add mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
Stir in chopped onions and mix to combine. Cook onions for 2 minutes until translucent.
Add chopped carrots and cook for another 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in soaked chana dal and curry leaves.
Add frozen peas and mix them well. Cook for 2 minutes until the peas lose their frozen smell. Stir in red chili powder and salt. Mix again.
Pour in water and sugar. Bring the water to a boil. When the water starts boiling, add roasted sooji and stir the spoon in the clockwise direction continuously to combine.
Cover the pan with a lid. Allow the sooji to simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes until sooji absorbs all the water.
Drizzle ghee on top and let the upma rest for an additional 1-2 minutes; covered.
After the desired time is over, remove the upma from the heat and uncover the pan.
Fluff upma with a fork and serve hot with the chutney of your choice.

Notes

Cooking tips!

Dry-roast Sooji - Make sure you roast sooji/semolina well before you start with the recipe. To speed up the process, you can roast sooji days in advance and store it in a cool, dry place. Always dry roast sooji on medium-low heat to avoid burning.
For a melt-in-your-mouth, taste use fine sooji for this recipe. There two different types of sooji, fine and coarse, and both will yield different results.
Once water is added to the upma, stir the spatula in one direction.- mix upma in the clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Stir continuously to avoid lump formation.
Follow the water and Rawa upma ratio, and you just can’t go wrong with this Rawa upma recipe.
Veggie Rawa Upma tastes best when served hot or at room temperature.
If you plan to make this veggie upma recipe a day in advance, then don't add the nuts. Add nuts while serving.

Faq's!

What can you use instead of chana dal? The closest match is Urad dal. Soak and use it just like chana dal.
Can you make this upma recipe without vegetables? Ofcourse, you can! For plain upma, simply skip the vegetables step and follow the recipe as is.
Can you make this recipe gluten-free? Semolina/Rawa is a form of wheat, and therefore, it is not gluten-free. You can try this recipe with other gluten-free grains like quinoa, millets, or oats.

Variations!

You can also use a store-bought roasted sooji packet to save time.
Feel free to leave out the cashews if you don't have a liking for them.
This is a versatile recipe, so play around and add the vegetables of your choice. The more the vegetables, the tastier and healthier upma will be.
Make sure you add water, as suggested in the recipe. Adding extra water will make the upma sticky.
For a creamy and rich taste, swap water with buttermilk. When upma is cooked in buttermilk, breakfast becomes rich in calcium.
This Rawa upma recipe feeds 4 people, but it can be easily scaled up or down to serve a large gathering.

Storing!

Once cooked, this Rawa upma recipe will keep in the fridge for about 2 days. The best part, it reheats really well. Sprinkle a few drops of water on upma and warm it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Add toasted cashews and serve hot with the chutney of your choice.

Nutrition