Rava Upma - A quintessential South Indian Breakfast made with Farina or Cream of Wheat

In the predominantly South-Indian suburb of Matunga in Mumbai, India right opposite the railway station, is a restaurant in an old art deco style building called Sharada Cafe. It has been owned by the same family for generations and growing up, some days I'd either see the great grandfather, sometimes the grandfather and sometimes their sons manning the counter.

It is a tradition in our family,  to wake up at 5.00am on the weekends and quickly dress to make it in time for the first batch, of what is in my opinion the finest Upma to be ever had, which promptly has been making its appearance for seven decades at 6.00 AM sharp (Once I posted this, I promptly got a call from my Mother who informed me that they have now changed their timings to 7.30 AM...smiles.. ) 

Sharada Cafe's Upma always leaves me speechless - with its glistening mound, the mouthwatering aroma of kari leaves and ghee and a texture like no other.

Today when I visit, it is with my husband and our children eating with my parents, their grandparents. So for me Sharada Cafe will always represent a passage of time and is a reminder that some things do not change - I am greeted by the same waiters with their gleaming faces and broad smiles, who first greeted me as a child  - this place represents for me the coming together of  families and the meeting of generations. Here family traditions are nurtured and passed down.

Sharada Cafe with its incredible food and its humble interiors - its marble floors, spotless marble table tops, oak chairs and slow grinding ceiling fans, is a legacy - one that I hope will continue to grace our lives and the lives of my children for many years to come.

However, back to reality, in my home kitchen, I make no claims to compete with Sharada Cafe's Upma. The recipe I follow, is my aunt's, made with carrots and peas (a variation from the traditional) albeit delicate, aromatic and delicious.

Upma in my opinion is a fine example of South Indian cooking, of how a few simple ingredients and a few minutes of time is all that it takes to create a memorable, healthy meal. 

 

 

The ingredients in today's Upma are 'rava' or farina a.k.a cream of wheat, the all important kari leaves for that amazing aroma, fresh ginger root, onion, green chillies, a carrot, frozen green peas, ghee, salt and to temper the ghee - mustard seeds & urad dal.

Cook's Note - A trip to  your neighborhood Indo-Pak store will be required to pick up the rava,  urad dal,  asafoetida powder & kari leaves.

The real secret to making an excellent Upma lies in the proportion of water to the farina and it requires some attention as well boiling hot water. Other than that it is a piece of cake!

Before beginning the cutting and chopping of any of the ingredients, place a kettle full of water to heat on high. Bring to a whistle. If you don't have a tea kettle, simply place a large pot of hot tap water to boil. 

Lower the heat and keep it simmering throughout the preparation and cooking  process.

Finely chop the onion, carrot, ginger root, slit the green chillies lengthwise and set aside the tempering ingredients in a bowl as well as the frozen peas.

Cook's Tip - Have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go before you begin at the stove.

   

On medium heat, heat up the ghee till very hot (careful not to burn, it'll turn brown and you'll have to start over) add the mustard seeds first and let them sputter (they will be on the verge of starting to flying out of the pan) immediately add the asafoetida powder & the urad dal. Allow to gently brown  for about a second and add the kari leaves These will also sputter wildly.

Add the onions and on medium heat saute till soft and just beginning to brown  but do not brown. 

  

Add the carrots, and continue to saute till softened for approx 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.

    

Add the hot water which will come to boil instantly. Season with salt.

Cook's tip - This point on, things will move very quickly so keep your wits about you. Also bring out a whisk and keep the ghee at hand.

Whether you' re fixing Bechamel sauce or Upma - the only way to get it lump free is a whisk - a spoon simply won't cut it.

Add the 'rava', farina or cream of wheat and whisk vigorously, you'll see lumps beginning to form at some spots, whisk away. Add the ghee and keep whisking.

Cook's tip - If it looks as though the 'rava' is absorbing the water too quickly add another 1/4 cup of the hot water as you are whisking.

Once the 'rava' begins to lump together, switch to a large spoon and keep stirring on medium  heat.

Taste and adjust the salt at this point.

Stir rapidly for approx 3 minutes or until the Upma is cooked.

If you don't see any grease at the bottom of the pan, add a little more ghee. The Upma is ready once it moves as one mass and is soft when tasted. 

Place the Upma, by spooning into a bowl (use as a mold) and then un-mold onto a serving plate (similar to how rice is served in Asian restaurants)

The Upma has a delicate flavor, with the lovely aroma of kari leaves and ghee. It makes a nice change from the usual for breakfast or brunch and is definitely a Vegetarians delight!

Recipe for

RAVA UPMA

Serves 4

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Cooking time - 15 minutes

Shopping list -

1 cup Rava,  plain cream of wheat or farina

2 'thai' green chillies

1/2" fresh ginger root

1/2 yellow onion 

1 small carrot

1/4 cup frozen peas

1 stalk kari leaves (do not omit)

1/8 tsp asafoetida powder

2 tsp ghee

Boiling hot water - 3 cups

Tempering - 

1 tbs ghee

1 tsp whole mustard seeds

3/4 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Channa dal (optional)

Preparation-

Onion -  Peel and finely chop 

Ginger root - Scrape skin off and finely shop

Carrot - Peel and chop to 1/4" cubes

Green chillies-  Wash and slit

Water - In a tea kettle or large pot bring atleast 5 cups of water to boil even though you made need only 3-3.5 cups. You do not want to run out half way through the cooking process.

Cooking method -

On medium heat the ghee till very hot (careful not to burn, it'll turn brown and you'll have to start over) add the mustard seeds first and let them sputter 

Immediately add the asafoetida powder & the urad dal. Allow to gently brown  for about a second and add the kari leaves which will also sputter.

Add the onions and  saute till soft and just beginning to brown  but do not brown. 

Add the carrots, and continue to saute till softened for approx 10 minutes or until carrots are tender. 

Add the hot water which will come to boil instantly. Season with salt.

Cook's tip - This point on, things will move very quickly so keep your wits about you. Also bring out a whisk and keep the ghee at hand.

Add the 'rava' or cream of wheat and whisk vigorously, you'll see lumps beginning to form at some spots, whisk away. Add the 2 tsp ghee and keep whisking.

Cook's tip - If it looks as though the 'rava' is absorbing the water too quickly add another 1/4 cup of the hot water as you are whisking.

Once the 'rava' begins to lump together, switch to a large spoon and keep stirring on medium  heat.

Taste and adjust the salt at this point.Stir rapidly for approx 3 minutes or until the Upma is cooked.

If you don't see any grease at the bottom of the pan, add another tsp of  ghee. The Upma is ready once it moves as one mass and its almost as if the mass is lifting off the bottom as one (no sticking to the pan) It  is also soft when tasted without being mushy.

Place the Upma, by spooning into a bowl (use as a mold) and then un-mold onto a serving plate (similar to how rice is served in Asian restaurants)

Enjoy!