Soft mix vegetable upma

Soft mix vegetable upma/ soft rawa upma/ restaurant style rawa upma:

When it comes to eating rawa upma, I always prefer South India. Yes, towards the Karnataka side, in Hubli one of the best restaurants on the highway serve you with their best soft rawa upma with loads of vegetables and a soothing aroma of pure ghee. 

Keeping that in mind today, I tried making the soft rawa upma in my kitchen today.

While choosing to prepare rawa upma, the main ingredient is selection of the suitable rawa for upma. It should be of the medium size. Small sized rawa is for laddoos and big size rawa is not for upma. So always choose medium sized rawa.

Normal method of preparing rawa upma is 1:2 ratio of rawa and water. But 1:3 ratio is perfect one I must say. When I prepared my upma in 1:3 ratio for first time, I was scared as it turned too watery and I didn't allow rawa to absorb water. That was my fault which I improved today. 

Also usually upma or sheera is prepared by pouring hot water into roasted rawa, but here the procedure is reverse, pouring roasted rawa into hot water. Concept is same but method is different. I felt for sheera its the first method perfect but for upma the second one is more successful. 

I have used only ghee in my recipe. You can use oil if you do not prefer ghee. But ghee takes your dish to an upper level.

In Goa we prepare upma( it's called as upit) with vatanas (cooked chanas) and we never add carrot and frozen green peas, but in this recipe, it's added. This recipe is towards the South Indian coast. Coconut can be added or skipped. I add a few tsps as it gives more flavour to your upma. Goan upit is already posted in my blog earlier. This upma is slightly a different one and after tasting this, I prefer this one is the best upma which my family loved a lot.

Let's go to the recipe.

Ingredients and method

Heat a vessel and keep to medium flame.

Dry roast 1 cup of rawa for about 3-4 minutes. Then add 2-4 tbsp of pure ghee and roast again in ghee for another 3 minutes. So in 5-7 minutes your rawa gets well roasted till aromatic. You must not roast too much as it will get browned. When you get a nice aroma and the granules of rawa gets free flowing ( sticky nature disappears) then it's done. 

Roasting of rawa should be done on low to medium flame only.

Once done remove roasted rawa in a plate.

Heat the same vessel again. 

Add 3 tbsp of pure ghee, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add 1 tsp of udid dal, 5-6 karipatta leaves, 2 red chillies, 3 green chillies finely chopped, 1 inch ginger grated and 1 tsp of hing (asafotedia) You can add 1 tsp chana dal too ( I skip as I don't like it). Saute well. Then add 1 medium sized onion finely chopped. Saute well. Add 2 strings of coriander leaves finely chopped. Saute. Add finely chopped carrot and frozen green peas (1/2 cup each) at this stage. 

Now add 3 cups of water to above. Let it boil well. Add 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp salt as required. Mix well. Add few coriander leaves finely chopped. Add 2 tbsp of scraped coconut at this stage itself. Let the water boil vigourously. 

Now add little by little roasted rawa and stir. Add and stir, add and stir. This way add the roasted rawa and mix well. Add remaining chopped coriander leaves, and 2 tsp of pure ghee and stir well. Now your upma will look watery.

Cover and cook exactly for 4-5 mins.

Open and you will notice rawa has absorbed water totally and has turned very soft. Stir well for 2-4 rounds. 

Spread your upma uniformly as shown in my pic. Spread 2-4 tsp of pure ghee on top and sides of vessel.

You are done.

Close and serve hot after 10 mins.

In Southern restaurants they serve upma with coconut chutney. It's really an awesome combination. 

You will notice that preparation of rawa upma this way yields you a very soft upma which remains soft till evening too!!

Try out friends!!

I fell in love with such kind upma and am sure you will also ride in the same boat!!😊😊

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