Rawa Idli Recipe (Without Yogurt or curd) | Vegan Rava Idli Recipe : South Indian Recipes

How to make the popular Rawa idli?

I got a sudden craving for rawa idli one day and decided to do it the same evening for dinner. As usual roasted the rawa, only to find out that there was no yogurt in my pantry. The determined me decided to make rawa idli without yogurt. The idli turned very spongy and soft even without the yogurt. Do want to know, what did I substitute yogurt with? Jump to the recipe!!

Some side dishes that go well with this idli are:
Bombay Saagu
Ginger Chutney
Kadlebele Chutney | Gram dal chutney

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins (for each batch)

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: (Makes about 25 idlis)

Semolina | Rawa | Cream of Wheat: 2 cups

Quick cooking oats: 3/4 cup

Avalakki | Poha | Rice flakes: 3 tbsp, optional

Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Urad dal | Black dal: 2 tsp

Channa dal | Gram dal: 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts: 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves: 1/4 cup

Grated carrots: 1/4 cup

Salt: To taste

Eno fruit salt: 1.5 tsp, refer notes

Vinegar: 1 tbsp

Water: As needed

Other ingredients:

Oil: Few drops to grease the idli mould

Method:
Wash the rice flakes thoroughly and soak them in water for 5-10 mins.
Heat oil in a broad sauce pan or wok. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds, urad dal, and channa dal. When dal turns golden brown, add the cashew nuts and mix until the cashew nuts turn golden brown.
Add the rawa to the pan and roast the rawa on a medium heat for 3-4 mins. Add the oats and roast again for a minute.
Remove the roasted rawa from the heat. Allow it to cool completely.
Drain the water from the rice flakes (poha) and add it to the rawa mixture.

Add about 2 cups of water to the rawa and mix well to make a thick batter.

Mix the vinegar with a quarter cup of water and pour it to the batter. Mix again and allow it to rest for 20 mins.

Put water to the steamer (or idli cooker or pressure cooker). Turn on the heat and let the water boil.
Just before making the idlis, add the salt, more water, grated carrots, and finely chopped coriander leaves to the batter. Mix well.

Finally, add the Eno fruit salt to the batter. Whisk the batter well.

Grease the idli moulds. Pour about 2-3 tbsp of batter to each mould and steam the idlis for 15 mins.
After 15 mins, turn off the heat and allow the steamer to cool for 5 mins.
Scoop out the idlis and serve it with chutney of your choice.

Notes: 
If you are using pressure cooker to steam the idlis, refer this post.
You can substitute Eno Fruit salt with the same amount of baking soda. If you are making the idli in two batches, divide the batter into two. Add fruit salt only to the batch going to the steamer. Do not add the fruit salt at once.

Instant Multigrain Idli

Instant Idli recipe using wheat rawa, corn meal, oatmeal & ragi flour.

Here is a picture of the semolina, wheat rawa & corn meal.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins for each batch
Serves: Makes around 30-34 idlis

Ingredients:
Wheat rawa: 3/4 cup
Corn meal: 3/4 cup
Oatmeal: 3/4 cup (instant or quick cooking)
Ragi flour: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped dill: 1/2 cup
Frozen corn kernels: 1/4 cup
Plain yogurt/curd: 1.5 cups
Water: About 2 cups, divided use
Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Channa dal | Gram dal | Kadalebele : 2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Salt: As needed
Baking soda: 1 tsp

Method:
Heat oil in a sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splatter, add the channa dal. When dal turns golden brown, add the curry leaves & let the leaves wilt.
When leaves wilt, pour in the wheat rawa, and corn meal. Roast the corn meal & rawa for about 3-4 mins on medium heat.
Add the oatmeal & roast again for couple of more mins.


Turn off the heat & let it cool completely.
Meantime, add about 1 cup of water to the yogurt & whisk it.
Once cool, add the ragi flour & mix it. Pour in the whisked yogurt, thawed corn kernels, dill leaves, salt & mix well. If needed, add 1/4-1/2 cup more water & mix.



Let the batter rest for atleast an hour.
Just before making the idlis, add the baking soda & mix. If needed, adjust the consistency of the batter (refer notes).
Grease the idli plates & pour about 2-3 tbsp of batter on each mould. Steam the idlis for about 15 mins.
Let the idlis cool for a couple of minutes. Scoop the idlis & serve it hot with chutney or any other side dish.


(PS: Pardon the picture. Will try for better pics next time!)

Notes:

• If you do not like ragi, you could totally skip it. 
• The cornmeal, oats & the wheat rawa absorbs the moisture & batter becomes hard. So, do add about 1/4 -1/2 cup of water to the batter & adjust the consistency.
• You could replace dill leaves with coriander leaves. 
• Use the above ingredients as a reference & modify it according to your preferences. 

Rava Pongal | Cream of wheat and lentil porridge

Wish you all a very happy Makar Sankranti | Lohri | Pongal!

Festival for me is all about having great time with family, cooking, eating & serving good food, not to forget to worship the God. We had a great weekend & hence was tired to cook elaborate meal on Monday morning. Since, it is the festival, I did not want to skip the tradition of making the pongal, both khara & sweet! I made this rava pongal instead of the regular rice pongal.

Pongal tastes divine with just a couple of ingredients that goes in. The magic of pongal lies in the ghee/clarified butter that is added!

Here goes the recipe for it.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins (except the lentil cooking time)
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• Moong dal/Split green gram lentils/Hesaru bele: 1/3 cup
• Cream of wheat/Rava/Uppittu rave: 1 cup
• Ghee/Clarified butter/Tuppa: 3 tbsp(divided use)
• Pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
• Pepper pods: 6-8 nos
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Cashew nuts: a fistful
• Curry leaves: 4-5 nos, torn
• Salt: As needed
• Water: 3 cups

Method:

• Heat the 1 tsp ghee in a pressure cooker. When ghee is hot, throw in the moong dal & saute the dal on medium heat until it slightly changes its color. Add in around a cup of water & pressure cook the dal for two whistles or 15 mins on medium heat. Allow it to cool.
• Meantime, heat a tbsp of ghee in a wok. When hot, throw in the cream of wheat & roast on a medium heat for 5-7 mins. The cream of wheat should turn golden brown & the aroma of the roasted rava should fill your kitchen!
• Boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pan.
• When the lentils are cooled, mash them thoroughly. (Refer notes)
• Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a broad pan. When ghee is hot, add in the cumin seeds & the cashew nuts. When nuts turn golden brown, throw in the curry leaves, pepper pods & pepper powder.
• When curry leaves wilt, add the hot water & salt.
• Pour in the roasted rava & mix well. Ensure no lumps.
• Add in the mashed dal & mix again. Cook it covered over low-medium heat for couple of minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Add couple of teaspoons of ghee, mix well & serve!

Notes:

1. My family prefers grainy dal over completely mashed. Hence, I keep them a little coarse (as seen in the picture).
2. Coconut chutney & kootu is a great combination for pongal.

Appi Payasa | Fried cream of wheat kheer

I have some distinct memories associated with some dishes. From the time I can remember, I always fascinated cooking but never took the initiation to cook, until I had no other choice! During my teenage days, whenever I got a chance to attend the weddings, upanayanam or any family functions, I used to venture into the kitchen. I used to talk to the cook & get to know the recipe of a dish with a fancy name!! I have been doing this till date. The only difference is, now I try to write down the recipe.

Appi payasa/payasam is one such dish learnt during a conversation with one of the cooks. Here is how "appi payasa" is made. A tight dough is made with cream of wheat. They are rolled & deep fried in ghee like pooris(Deep fried Indian bread). These pooris are crushed & added to the milk.

Though I don't have a sweet tooth, this is one of the kheer/payasam to which I can never say "no". Absolute delish!! It is also known as happala karda payasa (Thanks to blogger world!).

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
For the happala/flat poori:

• Cream of wheat/Chiroti Rava/Fine rava: 1 cup
• Cold water: Less than 1/4th cup
• Ghee/Clarified butter: 2 tsp
• Salt: a small pinch
• Ghee/Oil: As needed, for deep frying the pooris

For the payasa/kheer:

• Full cream milk: 1.5 litres
• Sugar: Around 3/4th cup, adjust according to your family needs
• Chopped dry fruits: 2 tbsp (I used almonds, cashews & pistachios)
• Saffron: a big pinch

Method:
Mix the cream of wheat, salt & ghee together.
Slowly add the cold water & make a stiff dough. Cover the dough & let it rest for at least a couple of hours. More the better...
Once the dough is well rested, divide the dough into big grape sized balls. I got 7 dough balls.
Dust a very little flour & roll it thin using a rolling pin. (just like a poori). 
Heat the ghee/oil on a medium heat. When ghee is hot, deep fry the pooris on both the sides until golden brown. Remove it on a paper towel to remove the excess ghee from the fried pooris. Repeat with the remaining pooris. Let it cool.

Meantime, boil the milk on a med-high heat. Keep stirring in between. When the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat.
Add sugar & allow the sugar to dissolve. 
When the sugar is dissolved, crush the saffron in between your palm & add it to the milk. 
Crush or roughly tear the cooled pooris & slide them onto the boiling milk. Add the chopped nuts.

Turn off the heat & let the payasam cool completely.
Once cool, mash the crushed pooris gently. 

You could serve this payasam, warm or cold. 
I generally warm it again & serve as my family prefers it that way!

Notes:

• It is very important to make a stiff dough to ensure crunchy pooris. Soft dough will absorb more ghee & become soggy.
• The more you rest the dough, the more elastic it becomes. It will be easier to handle a well rested dough. (You can see little cracks on the edges of my poori. That is because I did not rest the dough! Do not do that)
• Roll the pooris very thin. Thin pooris wont puff up & become soft. They will become crunchy!
• If your poori is still puffing up, gently prick it in 4-5 places with a tooth pick before frying them.
• This is unlike other kheer that demands milk quantity to be reduced by boiling. The crushed pooris will absorb the milk & the kheer/payasam thickens gradually. 

Oats Idli | Oats Idly Recipe

...... How to make oats idli?

When I was in India last year, I happened to follow few of the regional cookery shows. Most of the cookery shows talked about being healthy; healthy foods & magical grains that helped the humans. Every single show talked about oats.  My question is are we encouraging the usage of oats at the cost of our staple food??

We have such wonderful grains like ragi/finger millet, jola/sorghum, bajra/pearl millet & others. They are all great for health. Why are those grains not encouraged? No, I'm not against eating oats. I too buy oats & use it regularly.What I mean to say here is, don't blindly follow what is said. Consume oats but at the same time analyze what is better for you!

Here is a reference of nutritional information of oats and sorghum. Refer here for more.

Oats vs Sorghum

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 100g or 3.5oz Amount Per Serving Calories  389 Calories from Fat 58 % Daily Value* Total Fat  7g 11% Saturated Fat 1g 6% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol  0mg 0% Sodium  2mg 0% Total Carbohydrate  66g 22% Dietary Fiber 11g 42% Sugars 0g Protein  17g Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 0% Calcium 5% · Iron 26% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutritional Data by SkipThePie.org

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 100g or 3.5oz Amount Per Serving Calories  339 Calories from Fat 28 % Daily Value* Total Fat  3g 5% Saturated Fat 0g 2% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol  0mg 0% Sodium  6mg 0% Total Carbohydrate  75g 25% Dietary Fiber 6g 25% Sugars 0g Protein  11g Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 0% Calcium 3% · Iron 24% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutritional Data by SkipThePie.org

Above information is taken from here.

Wasn't that too much of controversial discussion?! Let me get back to my business!
Here is the recipe of oats idli.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients: (Makes around 15-18 idlis)

• Quick cooking Oats: 1 cup
• Rava/Semolina/Cream of Wheat: 1 cup
• Yogurt: 1 cup
• Water: 1 cup
• Oil: 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Channa dal/Gram dal: 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves: 8-10 nos, coarsely chopped
• Cashew nuts: 1.5 to 2 tbsp
• Eno's fruit salt: 1 tsp (Refer notes below)
• Salt: As needed.

Method:
Dry roast the oats on medium heat until it changes its color. Allow it to cool. Once cool, grind it to a coarse powder.
Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splatter, add the channa dal & cashew nuts. Roast until the dal & nuts turn golden brown. Add in the curry leaves & saute.
Add the semolina to the mixture & roast on medium heat until the semolina releases a nice aroma. The semolina will gradually turn to golden brown. Turn off the heat & scoop it out to a clean bowl. Allow it to cool. 
Once the semolina comes back to room temperature, add in the powdered oats & mix well. 
Beat the yogurt & add the yogurt, water & salt to the semolina oats mixture. Mix well & let it sit for about 30 mins.
The mixture will thicken after 30 mins, add little water to bring it to the normal idli batter consistency. 
Grease the idli plates/moulds & keep the steamer on medium-high heat.
Add in the fruit salt & mix gently. The batter will rise & become soft & fluffy. 
Scoop out around 2-3 tbsp of batter & pour it on the idli/idly moulds. Steam the idlis for 15-20 mins.
Allow it to cool for 5 mins. Serve it hot with a chutney/dip of your choice.

Side dishes that go well with this idli are:
Bombay Saagu
Vegetable Saagu
Ginger Chutney
Red chilli chutney

Notes:

• If you cannot find Eno's fruit salt, you could replace it with half the quantity of baking soda. 
• Once baking soda/ fruit salt is added to the batter, make the idlis immediately. The batter should not be kept for a long time unused. 

The best khara-bhath/ No vegetable upma: Beginner Series

ok, ok..here's the disclaimer. My son certifies that it is one of the best khara bhath( no vegetable you see!) :) :)

I have already written about my family's love for uppittu/upma. We love it more when it is prepared for dinner, in fact our family prefers eating breakfast items for dinner. Our usual dinner is mostly, akki rotti, ragi rotti, upma, dosa & others.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)
For roasting the semolina/rava:
Bombay rava/Cream of wheat/Semolina/ Uppittu rave: 1 cup
Ghee/Clarified butter: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal: 2 tsp
Channa dal: 1 tbsp
Peanuts: 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts: 2 tsp
Curry leaves: 6-8 nos, finely chopped


For tempering 2:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Green chillies: 2-3 nos
Onion: 1/2 cup or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
Grated ginger: 1/4th tsp
Tomato: 1 medium size, diced
Hot water: 3 cups
Salt: According to taste
Sugar: 1 tbsp


For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp, fresh or frozen
Lemon juice: 2 tsp


Method:
Roasting the semolina/rava:

• Heat ghee in a broad pan. When ghee is hot, add the mustard & cumin seeds. When seeds splutter, add channa dal, urad dal, peanuts & saute till the nuts turn golden brown. 

• Throw in the cashews & roast till golden brown. Add the curry leaves & saute till the leaves wilt.
• Finally add the rava & roast the semolina/rava on a medium-high heat until a nice aroma fills your kitchen (approximately 5-7 mins). You need to keep stirring the rava, else it will turn brown. Transfer the roasted rava on a clean plate & keep it aside

Upma preparation:
Meantime, add oil in the same pan (The one in which rava is roasted!). When oil is hot, add the green chillies followed by onions. Cook the onions till translucent. No need to brown them.

When onions are done, throw in the ginger & tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes are soft.

Add salt, sugar & the hot water.  

When water starts bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly pour in the roasted rava & mix well ensuring no lumps. The water will splutter in all directions! Be careful!.

Close it with a lid & cook it covered for couple of minutes or until all the water is absorbed. 

Mix the cooked rava. Turn off the heat. 

Add lemon juice, coriander leaves, grated coconut & mix again.
Keep it covered for couple of minutes & serve the steaming hot upma with a teaspoon of ghee.

Notes:

• 1:3 is the semolina to water proportion. If thicker version of semolina/rava is used, you might have to increase the water by half a cup. 
• Feel free to add any cooked vegetables of your choice to make this upma more nutritious.
• More the ghee/clarified butter, better the upma!

Plain Rava Dosa/Crispy cream of wheat crepes: Restaurant Style

Here is my first attempt on adding a video to my post. Hope you all find it useful.

The best thing about rava dosa is, it does not have to be fermented. So, no more waiting for hours to relish a dosa. Handy availability of ingredients in pantry is an added bonus. This dish comes to the rescue when you haven't planned anything for breakfast or for dinner.

Preparation Time: 3 mins

Resting Time: 15 mins

Cooking time: Around 2 mins for each dosa

Ingredients:

For the batter: (Makes around 16-18 dosas)

Fine sooji/Chiroti rava: 1 cup

AP Flour/Maida: 0.75 cup

Rice flour: 1.25 cups

Butter milk: 0.5 cup

Water: 5 to 5.5 cups

Salt: As needed

For cooking the dosa:

Oil: 1 tsp or more on each dosa

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients mentioned (except water) & whisk well.
• Slowly add 4 cups of water & keep whisking. Allow it to rest for 15 mins.
• The semolina/rava will absorb the water & the batter becomes thick after the resting time. 
• Add a cup of more water & mix well. Video below shows the consistency of the batter.
• Heat the griddle/dosa tava on a medium flame. When the griddle is hot, pour in the batter. See the video below to understand how to spread the batter. (This is only for rava dosa!)
• Sprinkle oil on the edges of the dosa & around 1/2 tsp on the center of the dosa. Cook on medium heat for 60-90 secs uncovered. Then increase the heat to high & roast the dosa for another 20-30 secs. 
• Fold the dosa & remove the dosa from the heat (there is no need to flip & cook on the other side of the dosa for this).
• Serve the crispy dosa with a dip/sauce/chutney of your choice.

Notes:

1. I have heard people make this with upma rava/semolina. However I have never tried the dosa with it. So, I am not sure how it turns out. 
2. You could add finely chopped onions, green chilli, curry leaves, a dash of pepper powder & coriander leaves to make onion rava dosa. 

Shavige idli (Vermicelli Idli)

The preparation of shavige idli is very similar to the rawa idli/semolina idli. This idli is normally served with bombay saagu(curry) or vegetable saagu(curry).

Ingredients:
Semolina/Rava: 2 cups
Shavige/Vermicelli: 1 cup (I use Bambino or MTR vermicelli)
Buttermilk: 2 to 2.5 cups
Water: Around 1/2 cup (I didnot measure this)
Salt: According to taste
Grated coconut: 1 tbsp
Baking soda or Eno's fruit salt: 1/4 tsp

For tempering:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts: 2 tbsp (broken)
Gram dal/Channa dal: 1 tsp (optional)
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 8-10

Method:

• Dry roast the semolina, vermicelli separately until light brown & allow them to cool.
• Mix together semolina, vermicelli, buttermilk, grated coconut.
• Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small pan, when oil is hot, add mustard seeds, when mustard seeds splutter, add broken cashew nuts, channa dal/gram dal & saute until they turn golden brown. Add curry leaves & saute for 5-7secs or until curry leaves become crisp.
• Pour the tempering to the semolina-vermicelli mixture, mix well & keep the batter aside for 30mins.
• After 30mins, the semolina would have absorbed the buttermilk & the batter would have become dry. Add water & adjust the consistency of the batter (a little thicker than the normal idli batter).
• Finally add salt, baking soda to the batter, mix well & pour around 2 tbsp of batter to each idli mould & steam the idlis for 20-25mins on medium heat.
• Serve it hot with a chutney or curry of your choice.

Notes:

1. Ensure to use a little sour buttermilk to get spongy & soft idlis.
2. Baking soda could be replaced with same amount of Eno's fruit salt.
3. Add 1 cup water to 1 cup thick yogurt. Whisk well. 2 cups buttermilk is ready to be used. Keep it outside for 2 hours to make the buttermilk sour.

Other idli recipes here:

Pumpkin idli

Rava Idli/Semolina idli

Mallige idli/Soft idli

Open Semolina Sandwich

I owe the concept of this recipe to Purva. The day I saw her recipe, I was sure to try it out. I am preparing this from almost 10 months & each time I prepare this.., we all relish it thoroughly.  This is a great option for weekend brunch. You can see her recipe here. Here is my version of the same.
 

Ingredients: (For 8 slices)

Bread slices: 8 (I use whole wheat bread, but will taste great with white bread too)
Finely chopped vegetables: 1.5 cups (I used shredded carrots, green & yellow capsicum, grated paneer, sweet corn kernels, onion & tomato)
Chiroti Rava/Small semolina: 2 tbsp
Thick Yogurt: 2 tbsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 1 tsp (finely chopped) (optional)
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp (adjust accordingly)
Chaat masala: ¼ tsp (optional)
Italian dried herbs: 1 tsp (optional)
Rock salt: a big pinch (optional)
Salt: According to taste
Mozzarella cheese (shredded): 1 tsp for each slice
Butter: 1tsp for each slice

Method:

1. Combine the vegetables, semolina, Italian herbs, red chilli powder, chaat masala, rock salt, salt & yogurt in a large bowl.  Mix them well. (If needed, add few drops of water).
2. The mixture should look like a cutlet batter. See picture below.

3. Take a slice of bread & smear butter on both the sides. Spread the cheese on one side of the bread. To the same side, spread a tablespoon of vegetable-semolina mixture.
4. Heat the griddle. When griddle is hot, place the slice of bread. (Note: The vegetable-semolina mixture must be on top). Cover the griddle & cook on a low heat for a minute. Flip the bread & again cook for 30-45secs.
5. Repeat the procedure 3 & 4 for all the remaining slices of bread.
6. Serve it hot with a dip/sauce of your choice.

 Notes:

• This sandwich is very flexible. Throw in whatever spices you need or just make it plain without any spices. It tastes great however you prepare it.
• Red chilli powder could be replaced with finely chopped green chillies or even be skipped!
• I am planning to prepare it with grated paneer only next time. Will let you all know the result.

Lastly, I have received awards from Suhaina of SingaporeKitchen. Phew.., I am again late in accepting & publishing the awards. Thanks a lot dear. It means a lot. I have mentioned more about me here. I will display the awards in side bar.

Rave rotti(Semolina Roti)

This dish is requested by a reader of mine & she wanted me to publish it as early as possible. So.., here it goes for you & also to others who want to give it a try.


Ingredients:

Chiroti rava or small rava/semolina: 3.5 cups
Akki hittu/Rice flour: 1/2 cup
Anna/Cooked rice: A fistful/ondu hidi (optional, makes the rotti soft)
Carrot: 1/2 cup grated

Erulli/Onion: 1 medium sized (finely chopped, optional but recommended as this would give a crunchy effect to the dish)

Curry leaves: as much as you want (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves: a fistful (finely chopped)
Grated coconut: 3-4 tbsp
Salt: According to taste
Jeera/Jeerige/Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mosaru/Curd/Yogurt: 1/2 cup (shouldn't be very sour)
Grated cucumber: 1/2 cup (this gives a totally different flavor to the rotti, but if you don't like you can discard it too)
Finely chopped green chillies: As much as you want (I normally do not add this, as my family likes it less or rather no spicy)

Oil: 1 tbsp for each rotti

Water: Roughly around 1 cup (use cucumber water as much as possible)

Method:

• Blend the cooked rice to make a smooth paste.
  
• Mix all the above ingredients mentioned. Make a dough similar to rice rotti dough.
• Pat it on the tava or a banana leaf, cook on both sides & serve with coconut chutney.

Notes:

1. If you want the rotti to be soft, decrease the rawa & increase the rice flour.
2. Do not pat the rotti very thin, keep it medium like parathas.
3. Add the oil generously as it helps in roasting the rotti better.
4. Feel free to add leafy vegetables like methi, dill to this rotti for different flavors & nutrients.

MTR Style Khara Bhath Recipe | How to make Hotel Style Khara Bhath

We are a big time khara bhath family. That too MTR style. I have made it many times over the years and all my friends who eat it go ga-ga over this upma/khara bhath. The specialty of this khara bhath is the addition of Udupi Rasam Powder. Do not use any other rasam powder to make this, use MTR Rasam Powder or make your own Saaru Pudi using my recipe.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves:4 to 6

Ingredients:

Upma rava/semolina/cream of wheat: 3 cups
Vegetables of your choice: 1 cup chopped, optional (I normally add carrots, french beans, peas, potato)
Tomato: 1 medium sized
Onion: 1 medium sized
Finely chopped bell pepper: 1/4 cup
Green chilli: 1 to 2 nos, refer notes
Grated ginger: 1 tsp
Water: 6 cups to 7 cups
Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tbsp, divided use
Oil: 2-3 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal: 2 tsp
Cashew nut: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Rasam powder: 1.5 tsp (MTR rasam powder would taste great too)
Curry leaves: 1 string
Grated coconut: 3 tbsp
Salt: According to taste
Sugar: 1 tbsp, refer notes (adjust according to your needs)
Lemon juice: 1 to 2 tsp (adjust according to your family needs)
Coriander leaves: 3 tbsp (finely chopped)

Method:
Heat 1 tsp ghee in a wok & when ghee is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. When the seeds crackle, add the cashew nuts. When the cashew nuts turn golden brown, add the rawa/semolina to it. Roast the semolina on a low/medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until the semolina turns golden & aroma fills the house. Keep the semolina aside.

Cook the mixed vegetables in a cup of water until soft & yet crunchy. (if you use the vegetables).

Meantime, boil the water.
Heat oil in a broad pan & start the tempering process. Start with curry leaves, broken green chili, followed by onion. 

Saute until onions turn translucent. 

Add the bell peppers and saute for a minute or two. 

Add tomato &  ginger. Saute again for a minute or two. 

Add the rasam powder, turmeric & mix well.

Pour in the boiling or hot water to the pan.

Add salt, sugar & allow the water to boil again. When water starts bubbling, reduce the heat.
Now carefully, add the semolina to the boiling water. Keep stirring to ensure no lumps are formed. 

(Keep the semolina in a big plate. Take the plate in one of your hands, carefully start dropping the semolina to the boiling water & keep stirring the water using the other hand). Close the lid & reduce the heat. Let the semolina get cooked on a low heat for 2-3 mins.
Open the lid & mix well.
Add the lemon juice, coriander leaves, coconut and the remaining 2 tsp ghee. Mix again & serve it hot.

Coconut chutney goes well as a accompaniment for this masala bhath.

 Notes:

• If your family likes to eat mildly spiced khara bhath, skip the green chilies. But, never the rasam powder.
• Jaggery could be used in place of sugar.
• Do not use rice rawa or bansi rawa (the thicker version of the rawa) to make this khara bhath. Use the finer variety.