Rava Upma Recipe ( How to make Rava Upma )

Hi guys!! Very happy to meet all. I am really sorry about my long break. I just thought of taking a small break during holidays but it got stretched this far. But this doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking and clicking, just the opposite....I tried and tested so many recipes for you during these holidays.  I just can't wait to share all the recipes that I tried :)

Ok now back to our food,
Today's recipe is our age old default breakfast - Rava Upma!

There is always a fine line between a good dish and perfect dish. In this post I am going to share a few tips and tricks that I learnt from my MIL that makes your upma stand out from others. It will be very soft at the same time very fluffy!!!

The main things that yield a perfect fluffy upma are...

• Roasting the rava till nice aroma comes without browning it.
• The amount of water added.
• Allowing the water to come to a boil before adding the rava.
• Cooking the rava by closing it with a lid.
• And the very final and important step is to fluff it with the ladle twice!

Now onto the recipe...

 

Rava Upma

 Soft and Fluffy Rava Upma!
 Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 10 min
 Total time: 15 min |Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients:
Rava: 2 cups
Water: 4 cups 
Oil: 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal: 1 tsp 
Shallots: 3 (finely chopped)

Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
Red Chilli: 3 
Salt: To taste 

METHOD:

1) Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and roast the rava for 5 minutes in medium high flame.
2)  Keep stirring( don't let it burn! ) till nice aroma comes. As they say in tamil, manal madiri varukanum ( roast till it resembles dry sand ) Transfer to a plate. [ This step is very essential in making the upma fluffy ]
3) In the same kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil and temper with mustard seeds and when it splutters add urad dal. When it turns golden colour, add the onions, red chilli and curry leaves and fry for few seconds till onion turns translucent.
4) Now add water and salt and bring the water to a boil.
5) Bring the kadai to simmer and add the roasted rava with one hand, while stirring continuously with the other hand ( this ensures that no big lumps are formed ) Close with a lid and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
6) Now open the lid. The upma will be like a whole piece of cake. Fluff it with a ladle or a wooden spoon.
 7) Close it again and switch off the stove. Let it standby for another 2 minutes. Then again fluff it with the ladle before serving or placing it in a hot box.

There you have it the soft and fluffiest Rava Upma!!!

Serve it with Sugar and Banana ( my daughters' and SS favorite combo!) or any Chutney of your choice....

NOTES:

1) Roasting the rava is very important as it makes the upma soft by absorbing lot of water and at the same time keeps it fluffy.
2) Don't let the rava brown while roasting it.
3) This is the very basic version of rava upma, you can make many variations to this by dding vegetables or flavour it with tomato... 

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Rava Idli Recipe ( How To Make Rava Idli )

Even people who don't like regular idlis will fall for these Rava Idlis (like me...). They are soft, porous and will just melt in your mouth...

These soft idlis taste heavenly with coconut chutney. The cashews and veggies and a nice little crunch to it. What more??? On my parents' last trip to CBE I did these for breakfast and they just loved it. Normally whenever I do something new, I will ask how was the dish?? and then get a reply. But that time both my mom and dad declared that the idli was superb with a great texture ( poo madiri udurudu!!!! ) even before I asked. I was flattered in getting such a comment from my dad. Usually he says its nice that's all...but on that day he made my mom to eat more idlis telling that it was really superb!!! I was soooo happy :)

There are a few things to be noted to get a perfect rave idli that I have mentioned in NOTES section. Do read that.

 Now here comes the recipe for the soft and beauitful Rava Idlis...

INGREDIENTS:

Rava - 1 1/2 cup

Curd - 2 1/2 cup

Water - 1/4 to 1/2 cup ( or as needed )

Salt - to taste

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

To Temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp + for greasing

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Green Chilli - 1 (finely chopped)

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Chana Dal - 1 tbsp

Cashew - 10

Carrot - 1 (grated)

Peas - 2 tbsp + for decorating

METHOD:

1) Dry roast rava in a kadai for 3 to 4 minutes (without burning) and allow it to cool down a little. Whisk the curd lighty to remove any lumps and add it to the rava. Mix well and keep it aside for 10 minutes ( let the rava soak in the curd).

2) Lightly grease the idli plates with oil. Place grated carrot and peas on the greased idli plate and keep that ready.

2) In a kadai heat oil and temper with mustard. After it pops add urad dal, chana dal and cashew. Fry till golden brown and add green chilli.


3) Now add onions and toss a little and add the remaining grated carrot and peas. Toss for 1/2 minute and switch off ( no need to cook the veggies all the way through as they get cooked while steaming the idlis ).


4) Now the tempered mixture is ready. Lets get back to the rava and curd batter. After 10 minutes of soaking, rava curd batter will be quite thick. Now add water little by little to get the consistency like idli/dosa batter. To this add the tempered mixture along with salt and mix well.


5) To this final batter add baking soda. Give it a quick mix and immediately transfer this to the prepared idli plates and steam cook it for 7 to 8 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of idli comes out clean.

That's it..... soft and melt in mouth rava idlis are ready!!!

Look how soft and porous they are..... 

NOTES:

1) Make sure your baking soda is fresh as it is one of the main reasons in creating soft and porous idlis.

2)  Don't let the batter sit too long after adding baking soda. Steam immediately.

3) Dry roast your rava well without burning. It will give a great texture to your idlis ( poo madiri udurum...:) )

4) Make sure you don't let the rava soak in curd for more than 10 minutes.

5) Don't add the water all at once. I always add  curd to rava and let it soak for 8 to 10 minutes, by which time it will all be soaked and the batter will be quite thick. Later I will add water little by little till it reaches the consistency of our regular idli/dosa batter ( not too thick and not too runny ). Then add the tempered items and proceed.

6) The measurements I have given is perfect for regular homemade curd. The more thick the curd is, the more water it is going to need and vice versa.



Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

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Millet curd rice(thinai,samai,varagu curd rice)

Hi guys,my hubby used to insist me to give millets to kids and reduce the intake of white rice. When I cook it as such and serve with any curry or gravy (kulambu) both my kids started to make faces.....So I started making curd rice, kichadi and dosa using millets and got a thumbs up from both the sides!!!!
This millet curd rice can be made within 20 minutes. I usually prepare this in the morning. You can try this with any millet, and it tastes so good along with a pickle, thoviayal or potato fry, now onto the recipe.

 

INGREDIENTS:

Any millet -1 cup
Water - 4 cups
Milk - 1 1/2 cup(use accordingly)
Water - 2 tblsp(optional,may be less or extra)
Dry grapes - 10 to 15

To temper:
Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Shallots - 5
Mustard -1/4 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Green chilli - 2(finely chopped)
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - few

To garnish:
Pomegranate - 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - few

PROCEDURE:
Step 1:
Wash the millet thoroughly and add it in the cooker along with 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.


Step 2:
When the pressure releases open the cooker and give a stir.
Now add milk (first half cup and then remaining ,it will absorb)
Add water if necessary.
Add salt.
Add dry grapes.
Step 3:
Add items under temper and add it to the cooker.
Garnish with coriander,carrot and pomegranate.
Your yummy millet curd rice is ready.

Notes:
After adding milk,I have given add 2 tblsp of water this is to get correct consistency,else it will be so semisolid.so do add water.
You can try with any millet variety,the measurements are the same.
You can also add coriander leaves and shredded carrot at last for garnishing.
I haven't added green chilli ,as my daughter don't like it,you do add it. It gives a nice flavour.
Adding dry grapes is optional... I have added as my kids love them in curd rice ( actually they ask for more!!!)


Cheers,
Jayanthi.

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