Tomato Upma is a delicious South Indian breakfast made from semolina and spices; Curry leaves, and ripe tomatoes. The Andhra-style tomato upma is an alternative to the classic upma, Rava, and is an essential dish in South India. Tomato upma is tasty by itself and will not require any other ingredients. However, Peanut pods, Curry leaves podi, Papads, and Pickles are great.
I’ve made it using fine semolina. Also which is also known as suji or Bombay Rava. I have sometimes made this using wheat rava (dalia) and bansi ravia. Bombay Rava is a bit less fiber-rich and is considered to be an unrefined food. Therefore, to improve this food’s health, I use wheat rava and Bansi the rava.
This recipe can be used using all three varieties of Rava. You will have to add extra water to make the final two varieties.
If you’re bored of the same old upma, check the tomato-based upma. It is delicious, spicy, and slightly sweet because of the tomatoes. There are no other veggies in this dish. However, mixed vegetables like peas, carrots, and green beans (French) are great.
The recipe is prepared in the usual upma. Semolina is cooked over a low flame until it becomes fragrant and crisp. This prevents the tomato from becoming sticky and also prevents the formation of lumps once you add the rava to the boiling water.
Then we cook the spices such as ginger, mustard, cumin, and green chilies using oil or Ghee. After that, we cook the cashew nuts and lentils till golden. The onions are stirred for just a few minutes, after which the tomatoes are simmered until soft. This process is crucial in removing the fresh flavor of tomatoes.
Then, we pour the water in and make sure it is brought to a simmer. Add the semolina to the boiling liquid by stirring continuously until the liquid is taken in and the semolina has cooked to the point of being cooked.
How to Make Tomato Upma?
Roast rava
- Incorporate 1/2 cup of rava into an oven or a pan. It is then cooked on medium heat until the rava is crisp and lightly aromatic, but be careful not to burn it. When roasting, cut off the onions and chopped green chilies and tomatoes. Put the rava on the table, preferring in a bowl to make it easy to pour.
Temper the Spices
- Heating 1 to 1/2tablespoons oil or Ghee. Ghee gives a beautiful aroma to the tomato soup. Include 1/2 mustard seeds, half a teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of chana daal, 1 teaspoon of urad daal, and 10 cashews split in half simultaneously. Fry till the daal turns golden.
- Include 1 sprig of curry leaves or 2 green chilies and one tiny chopped or cut onion. Sauté until the onions become somewhat pink. The process takes anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add 3/4 cup of tomatoes (deseeded) along with 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for one to two minutes.
- Cook covered until the tomatoes turn soft and entirely soft. Sauté for a couple of minutes in a hot flame to intensify the taste of tomatoes. The process also eliminates the tomato’s raw taste. Do not skip this step.
Make Tomato Upma
- Mix 1 1/4 cups of water, stir, and test the salt. The water needs to be slightly acidic. Let it come to a simmer.
- Lower the flame to moderate. Slowly pour the rava into a stream to boil. When you pour it, mix the water thoroughly to integrate the rava. Also, this will prevent the formation of lumps from the rava.
- Stir it once and make sure there aren’t any lumps.
- Cook covered until liquid is entirely removed. Stir well. Turn off the heat and add coriander leaves. Keep covered and set aside for 5 minutes.
Make a ghee-sprayed bowl and then add the upma to it. Then, press down with the help of a spoon. Transfer it onto a platter and shake gently. Serve with coriander and cashews. Serve warm or hot.
Ingredients (Us Cup = 240ml )
- 1/2 cup semolina (rava/ suji)
- 1 1/4 cups of water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Ghee or oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (Bengal Gram)
- 1 teaspoon of urad Dal (skinned black Gram)
- 10 cashews, Divide or as required
- 1 to 2 chilies cut
- 1 Sprig of curry leaves
- 1 Pinch hing
- 1 onion, medium, sliced
- 2 pinches of turmeric are preferentially natural
- 3/4 cup tomatoes chopped and ripe (preferably removed seeds)
- 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves, chopped finely (optional)
Cooking Steps & Instructions
Preparation
- Dry roast the rava in an oven with moderate heat until it becomes crunchy and fragrant. Make sure to stir frequently to avoid burning.
- As it cooks, Wash, deseed, and chop tomatoes. Cut green chilies and onions.
- Transfer the rava to an empty bowl.
- The tomato-based upma recipe
- The same pan is heated with Ghee or oil.
- Incorporate mustard, cumin, cashews, and dal. Cook all the ingredients until the lentils turn gold.
- Add onions along with curry leaves, onions, and green chilies. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle hing.
- Mix chopped tomatoes with the turmeric and salt. Cook for two minutes. Cook in a covered pan on moderate heat until the tomatoes become mush. Close the lid and simmer at a moderately high temperature until the fresh flavor disappears from the tomatoes.
- Add water, and then bring to a simmer. Check the taste of the water and alter the salt. The water should be acidic.
- Once the water is at the end of boiling, switch the heat to medium. Pour the rava slowly into one stream and stir it with the opposite hand using a spoon. Make sure to stir well and make sure whether there are lumps.
- Cook under cover on moderate heat until the water has been absorbed.
- Stir well. You can add extra Ghee (optional) and cut coriander leaves.
Serve the tomato soup hot or warm.
