Tomato Upma

Roasting rava

1. Heat a pan or kadai first. Add 1 cup rava or cream of wheat.
2. On a low flame, begin to roast the rava. Stir often while roasting the rava.
3. The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. Don't brown the rava.
4. Switch off the flame and then add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside.

Making tomato upma

1. In a pan, heat ghee or oil. Then add mustard seeds.
2. When you hear the crackling sound of mustard seeds, it means they are getting cooked.
3. When the mustard seeds are crackling, then reduce the heat to a low and add cumin seeds along with chana dal and urad dal.
4. Stir and saute them on a low heat till the both the urad dal and chana dal become golden. Take care not to burn the dals.
5. Now add dry red chilies and a pinch of asafoetida. Stir and mix well.
6. Add chopped onions and stir.
7. Begin to saute the onions stirring often on a low to medium heat till they turn translucent.
8. Then add the chopped green chilly, ginger, curry leaves. Saute for half a minute.
9. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. You can also add vangi bath powder or bise bele bath powder instead of red chilli powder.
10. Mix very well and saute the tomatoes on a low to medium heat till the tomatoes soften.
11. Next add water to this mixture.
12. Add salt as per taste. Check the taste of water and it should be slightly salty.
13. On a medium to high flame, heat the water and let it come to a rolling boil.
14. When the water comes to a rolling boil, lower the flame to its lowest. Then add the rava in 4 to 5 batches directly from the plate or with a spoon.
15. As soon as you add the first batch, immediately stir and mix very well.
16. Then add the next batch of rava.
17. Stir again. This way keep on adding and stirring the rava up to the last batch.
18. Quickly stir and mix well so that lumps are not formed. The rava grains absorb water and thus swell and get cooked.
19. Cover and allow the tomato upma to steam for 2 to 3 minutes on the low flame. Then switch off the flame.
20. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves. Stir and mix well.
21. Drizzle ½ teaspoon of ghee on each serving and serve tomato upma hot with coconut chutney or lemon pickle or lemon wedges.