Rava Upma

Introduction
Upma is a cous cous-like preparation, and it is a South Indian fast food staple. Easy and quick, upma is light fare perfect for breakfast, or as a light meal. There are tons of variations on the same general recipe that result in a variety of delicious allotropes of this dish. I'm including the main recipe below and some alterations/additions to it as well. Enjoy!

Main ingredients
Rava (cream of wheat) (prefer coarse over fine) - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Rai (mustard seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Udad dal (split black gram lentils) - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 3
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 2
Ginger, chopped - 3/4"-1" piece
Oil - 2 tbsp

Optional ingredients
Tomato, quartered - 1
Carrot, sliced - 1
Radish, small, sliced - 3
Cashews, unsalted - 1/2 cup
Peas (preferably fresh not frozen) - up to 1/2 cup (*)
Onion, medium, sliced - 1
Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch
Haldi (turmeric) - a pinch
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tsp
Coconut, grated - 1 tsp

Time: 10-15 min
Servings: 1 (lunch) or 2 (snack)

Method:
1) Roast the rava until it starts to turn brown and you can smell it. Set aside.
2) Heat the oil in a non-stick wok.
3) Add rai, udad dal and curry leaves, and when these start to sputter, add the ginger and green chillies. Stir for a minute or so.
4) Add water and salt, mix well.
5) Add any vegetables you're using to the water and cook covered about 5 min.
6) Slowly mix in the rava, avoiding any lumps. If needed, pour the rava through a strainer. Lumps will ruin the taste! Stir continuously until all the rava has been added. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Depending on what consistency you desire, you can heat it for longer until you have an almost-solid Upma ready.

Upma can be served on its own, or, depending on how you like it, with a chutney (coconut, coriander, mint,...) or a pickled vegetable (lemon, lime, ginger,...) on the side. Sambar (thick lentil soup usually with aubergines) is also a standard side for upma.

Alterations/Additions, and when to add them:
2.5) If adding cashews - believe me, you should! - fry until they start turning brown, then proceed to step (3) above.
3.5) Hing, onions - fry until onions turn translucent.
4.5) Tomatoes, radish, peas [See note below if using peas], haldi and sugar.
6.5) Coriander leaves, grated coconut (garnish).

Notes:
* Adding peas will increase cooking time. You'll also probably have to increase the amount of water required by 1/2 cup. Fresh peas work better than frozen ones. You could probably nuke them to pre-cook them, but in-situ cooking probably improves the flavour.
* As with everything else, using ghee instead of oil improves the flavour.
* Here's one of my favourite things about upma - if you cook it long enough, you start to get a crisp thin crust forming under the upma. If you're using a non-stick wok, it will be easy to transfer onto your plate. Mmm, crispy!

Author: Sundar