Rava Upma | Upma recipe | How to make upma?

Upma is one of the easiest breakfast that can be made in a jiffy. If you ask me, that would be the fastest breakfast that I can make, not considering idly and podi. But for idly, I would go slightly overboard and make chutney and mostly sambar as well ;) So coming back to upma, many do not like upma. In fact I hated it as a kid. I must say that I started appreciating it more after getting married ;) Not coz it's easy to make. But because my mil makes some kickass upma which is neither dry nor gooey but the perfect consistency. The key is in finding the correct ratio of water required for the consistency that suits your liking. The rest is breeze. Experiment with that and I am sure you will reach there too soon :) The ratio I have mentioned here is for a more firm and fluffy upma. So let's see how to make it..

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

I Used:

Oil/Ghee	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	1 tsp
Urd Dal	-	1 tsp
Curry Leaves	-	A sprig
Roasted Rava/Semolina	-	1 cup
Onion	-	1 no (medium sized - chopped)
Green Chilly Asafoetida	- -	2 nos  ¼ tsp
Water	-	2 ¼ cups
Salt	-	As needed

The Way:

1. Take the rava/semolina in a kadai. Roast the rava on a low or medium flame for 3-4 minutes till they are crisp. Keep stirring else it will get burnt

2. Heat oil in a kadai/pan. Splutter mustard. When it splutters add the urd dal. Allow it to turn golden. Take care not to burn

3. Add curry leaves, chopped onions and green chilly and saute 

4. Add salt and asafoetida as well and saute till the onions slightly turn colour. I don't make them brown and just saute for 2-3 minutes as we like it that way

5. Now add water (refer notes) and check salt. It should taste salty. If not adjust salt. Allow the water to boil

6. Once it boils, reduce the flame and add the roasted rava little at a time and constantly stirring with your other hand. Keep the flame reduced, as the water can splutter 

7. The rava will absorb the water and become thick. Then close the pan with a lid and allow the rava to cook in low flame for about 5-6 minutes

8. Now open the lid and check. You can stir in between if needed or you are worried that it might stick to the bottom of the vessel

Garnish with little grated coconut or coriander leaves before you serve !

Notes:

• Use ghee for a more yummy flavour and taste

• You can also add fried cashews for a richer taste

• I always use roasted rava/semolina as it makes my life easier! If you are using unroasted one, then as the first step roast the rava in a pan for 3-4 minutes in medium flame until you get a nice roasted flavour. Keep stirring else it will get burnt

• We like our upma plain. If you want to add veggies like carrot, beans or peas, you can add them after sauteeing the onions and then proceed to the next step once the veggies get cooked

• You can even add tomatoes for a tangy flavour

• My mom adds some chopped ginger along with the onions, so if you like that flavour you can add them as well

• The quantity of water mentioned here is for a fluffy upma. If you like more gooey one increase the quantity of water. Either ways make sure the rava is properly cooked. Low flame and covered cooking is the key for a properly cooked and fluffy upma !

Cheers,

Chitz

Savory Semolina Cake | Savoury Rava Cake | Eggless Savory Rava Bread

So, here I am back with an easy recipe for all you lovely readers out there.. Am I going to be regular here from now on? I hope so.. So this is a very interesting recipe that can be served for breakfast or as a snack too ! I always have a soft spot for baked goodies & when I saw this interesting recipe with a twist at 'Erivum Puliyum', I decided I had to make it :) It is very easy except for the veggie chopping part. The rest is just whisk, whisk, whisk & bake !

Recipe Source: Here

I Took : 

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Baking Time : 30 minutes

Makes : An 8 inch loaf

I Used:

Semolina	-	1 cup
Carrot	-	1 medium sized (finely chopped)
Beans	-	6-8 no (finely chopped)
Ginger	-	1 inch piece (finely chopped or grated)
Green Chilly	-	3 nos (finely chopped)
Thick Yogurt	-	½ cup
Butter	-	1 tbsp
Baking Soda	-	½ tsp
Oil	-	3 tbsp
Water	-	As required
Salt	-	As required
Coriander Leaves	-	2 tbsp (finely chopped)

To Temper:

Mustard	-	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	-	1 tsp
Sesame	-	1 tsp

The Way:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C
2. Combine together the semolina (rava), salt & yogurt. Now add the chopped carrot, chopped beans, chopped ginger, finely chopped green chillies, chopped coriander & mix well
3. Heat oil in a pan. When it heats up, splutter the mustard. Then add the cumin seeds & sesame. Take care not to brown. Now add this tempering to the semolina batter & give it a mix
4. Grease the baking pan with butter
5. Add baking soda to the batter & give it a whisk
6. Pour the batter into the baking pan & garnish the top with some sesame seeds
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till done (A tooth pick inserted would come out clean)

Serve warm with chutney or ketchup & a smoothie of your choice :)

Notes:

1. Baking soda is for the bread to rise properly. So add it in the end just before putting it to bake in the oven
2. You can add veggies of your choice which can be baked easily like peas, zucchini etc
3. Do not use sour yogurt. It can compromise the taste

Cheers,
Chitz

Rava Ladoo | Rava Laddu | Semolina Ladoo

Sweet balls of semolina and sugar

Sweets! I am a very picky person when it comes to sweets. And rava ladoo is one among the few favorites of mine. And it also holds the distinction of being the second sweet I made all on my own after marriage :D  and Deeps loves this one.. For a long time I was under the impression that it's very difficult to make sweets at home. But then I was at my lovely sister's place for one Diwali, I realised that I was under a very wrong feeling all this while !! It was in a jiffy, she made two sweets and a savory. I should say that's where I was struck with the arrow of confidence for making sweets at home ;) 

Recipe Source : Rak's Kitchen

I Took : 40 minutes

I Used :

Rava/Semolina	-	1 cup
Sugar	-	1 cup
Ghee	-	¼ cup
Milk	-	1 tbsp
Cardamom	-	1 no
Cashew nuts	-	8 nos

The Way:

1. Roast semolina in a pan on a reduced flame till a nice aroma comes. Keep stirring continuously to ensure the semolina is roast evenly and it does not burn
2. Cool down and grind it into a very fine powder using mixer. I used fine ground semolina and hence avoided this step
3. Powder sugar along with cardamons in a mixer. Sieve off the pods of cardamom from the powdered sugar
4. Sieve the powdered semolina and sugar to a bowl
5. Heat ghee in the pan. Fry the cashews in it till golden brown and add it to the semolina-sugar mixture
6. Sprinkle the milk and mix thoroughly
7. Make small ladoos (balls) out of this mixture immediately. Roll it tight, if you could not roll, sprinkle little more milk or add more warm ghee and roll it again

Notes:

• I used confectioners' sugar. Hence needn't powder the sugar. I used only around 3/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar, else it would make the ladoo too sweet
• While half way through the rolling of the ladoos, the mixture lost its heat. So I microwaved for 2 minutes and then added milk and rolled again

I love making this sweet that I follow verbatim from Rak's kitchen. So here goes this post to the Tried and Tasted from Rak's Kitchen event happening at Nivedhanam. 

Cheers,
Chitz

Rava Kesari | Sooji Halwa | Semolina Halwa

Sweet of semolina cooked in ghee and sugar

And come here begins a new year with aspirations, expectations and of course resolutions !!! As like every other time, I had no intentions of taking resolutions as I know there wouldn't be justice served ;) Then suddenly a thought struck me today morn... Why not challenge myself into taking one or two resolutions that I would love to keep up?? So here is the result, a half year long wish to start a blog. And what better way to start a cookbook blog other than with a sweet. So here I begin with my all time favorite 'Kesari' - supple, ready to melt in mouth and easy to make sweet. Wishing you all a Happy New Year :) :)

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took : 30 minutes

Serves: 30-35 pieces

I Used :

Rava/Semolina	-	1 cup
Sugar	-	1 ½ cup
Water	-	2 ½ cups
Ghee	-	8 tbsp
Cashew nuts	-	6-8 no
Cardamom	-	2-3 no
Food Colour	-	2 pinch

The Way :

1. Powder sugar along with cardamom in a mixer. Sieve off the pods of cardamom from the powdered sugar & keep aside
2. Mix the food colour in 2 tbsp water and keep aside
3. Heat ghee in a flat bottomed vessel or pan. Fry the cashews in it till golden brown and keep aside
4. In the same ghee fry the semolina in a medium flame until it turns light golden brown in colour. Keep it aside
5. Add water to the pan. When it starts to boil add the roasted semolina, the food colour and reduce the flame . Stir continuously to make sure that no lumps are formed. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the semolina is cooked well
6. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Adding sugar will make the mixture  a little moist. So stir well & continuously, leaving no lumps
7. Keep stirring until it becomes a mass & starts to leave the sides of the vessel. Add the roasted nuts, give a quick stir & switch off
8. Transfer to a ghee greased bowl or container of the desired shape. Cut into square or diamond shapes before serving

Notes :

• Always take care to add sugar only after the semolina is cooked well, else it can compromise the taste & texture of the kesari
• This semolina-sugar ratio is of good sweetness. Adjust sugar according to your preference
• Do not compromise on ghee as it is what makes the dish special. Feel free to add more if you prefer !
• Adding milk instead of water gives a more rich flavour and aroma. In that case, increase the quantity of food colour for a darker look
• Common food colours used are saffron and yellow !!
• Kesari can be refrigerated & relished for 1 or 2 days. Then heat it for a minute or two in microwave before serving 
• Addition of milk decreases shelf life
• You can also add essence to the kesari, pineapple being the most commonly used one

Cheers,
Chitz

*Updated with new pics on 07/09/2013