Tomato Upma

Ingredients

• ½ cup semolina (rava/ suji)
• 1 ¼ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 to 1½ tablespoons ghee or oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon chana dal (bengal gram)
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (skinned black gram)
• 10 cashews, Split or as needed
• 1 to 2 green chilies slit
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 Pinch hing
• 1 onion, medium, sliced
• 2 pinches turmeric prefer organic
• ¾ cup tomatoes, chopped, ripe, (preferably deseeded)
• 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Steps

Preparation

1. Dry-roast rava over medium heat until crunchy and aromatic, stirring constantly to keep it from burning.
2. While it roasts, wash, deseed, and chop tomatoes, and slice onions and green chilies.
3. Put the roasted rava in a bowl.

Making tomato upma

1. Warm oil or ghee in the same pan.
2. Sauté cumin, mustard, dal, and cashews together until the lentils turn golden.
3. Add onions, curry leaves, and green chilies and sauté for 2 to 3 mins, then sprinkle in hing.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, and salt and sauté for 2 mins. Cover and cook over medium heat until mushy, then uncover and sauté over medium high heat until the tomatoes lose all raw flavor.
5. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt so the water is slightly salty.
6. Once boiling, turn the flame to medium. Pour rava in slowly as a stream, stirring with a ladle in the other hand. Stir thoroughly and check that no lumps remain.
7. Cover and cook over medium heat until the water is absorbed.
8. Stir thoroughly and add more ghee if desired, along with chopped coriander leaves.
9. Serve the tomato upma hot or warm.