Separate golden grains, sweet carrot and peas running through, curry leaves and cashew in the tempering. Fifteen minutes, one pan.
Ingredients
From the TrooFoodz pantry
Fresh
- Onion, finely chopped 1 large
- Carrot, small dice 1
- Green peas, fresh or frozen ½ cup
- Green chillies, slit 2
- Ginger, finely chopped 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds 1 tsp
- Urad dal 1 tsp
- Chana dal 1 tsp
- Cashew halves 10
- Curry leaves 1 sprig
- Coconut oil 2 tbsp
- Lemon ½
- Coriander leaves, chopped 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Method
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Dry-roast the rava
Toast the Sprouted Foxtail Millet Rava in a dry pan over low heat for three minutes until it smells nutty. Tip it out to stop the cooking.
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Build the tempering
Heat coconut oil, pop the mustard seeds, then add urad dal, chana dal and cashews. Wait for the dals to turn pale gold before the curry leaves go in.
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Sweat the aromatics
Add ginger, green chilli and onion. Cook until the onion is translucent and the raw edge has gone.
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Cook the vegetables
Stir in carrot and peas with a pinch of salt and cook three minutes so they soften but keep some bite.
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Add water
Pour in 2 cups of hot water with salt and bring to a rolling boil — cold water makes the grains clump.
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Rain in the grain
Lower the heat and add the roasted rava in a steady stream, stirring constantly with the other hand to keep it lump-free.
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Steam and rest
Cover and cook on the lowest flame for five minutes, then switch off and rest five more. Fluff with a fork, finish with lemon and coriander.
Why this works
Roasting the rava first sets the starch on the outside of each grain so it absorbs water without collapsing into paste. A 1:2 grain-to-water ratio and boiling water added all at once means every grain hydrates at the same rate. The off-heat rest lets residual steam finish the centres, which is what keeps the upma fluffy rather than wet.
Make it your own
- Sprouted Foxtail Millet Rava → Sprouted Jowar Rava Milder and paler, softer finish.
- Cashews → Roasted peanuts Earthier crunch, added at the end so they stay crisp.
- Coconut oil → Ghee Rounder and richer; drops the vegan claim.
