Godhumai Rava Upma – Broken Wheat / Samba Rava/ Dalia Upma

For the second day of BM under the theme Main dishes, the recipe I chose is Godhumai Rava Upma. Upmas are such a life saver on a bust week night when there is not enough time to make a whole complete meal. To make the upma the main dish and a complete meal, I always add several vegetables. Rava upma is something I make often, but lately I have started to use godhumai rava more.

Recently my father had some health complications and he was asked to go on a diabetic meal. My father had lot of issues eating anything else other than rice. That is when I had to start making more diabetic friendly meal myself and show him that when cooked right, they taste great and he would not miss his regular rice. My mother still finds it hard to get him to eat certain things, but he has gotten a lot better for what he was.

Godhumai rava is made by breaking down whole wheat kernels into smaller pieces. Hence this is considered a whole grain and like other whole grains, it is low in calories and loaded with good nutrition. Broken wheat has high fiber content and is rich in Iron, magnesium, Vitamin B and Vitamin E. Broken wheat also helps control cholesterol and aids in weight loss. It is a very heart healthy grain and can be substituted instead of rice in many dishes.

Preparation time – 10 mins
Cooking time – 30 mins
Difficulty level – easy

Ingredients to make Godhumai Rava Upma – (serves 3)

• Godhumai rava/broken wheat/dalia – 1 cup
• Water – about 3 cups
• Mixed vegetables (chopped) – 2 cups (I used bell pepper, carrot and Brussels sprouts)
• Onion – 1 large (chopped)
• Green chilies – 3
• Curry leaves – few
• Ginger – 1 tbsp (grated)
• Salt – to taste
• Lime juice – 2 tbsp (optional)

To season –

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Ullatham paruppu/urad dal – 1 tsp
• Asafetida – ¼ tsp

Procedure to make Godhumai Rava Upma –

• Heat a wide pan and roast the godhumai rava until it is fragrant and starts changing color. This step is optional, but I thought roasting the grain enhanced its natural nutty flavor. Keep the roasted rava aside.

• In the same pan, add the oil and once the oil heats up, add all the seasoning ingredients and fry for a couple of minutes.

• Now add the chopped onions, and green chilies and sauté for about 5 mins until the onions turn translucent.

• Now add the grated ginger and the rest of the vegetables and sauté until the vegetables are soft (about 8-10 mins).

• Now add the water and let the water come to a boil. At this stage add the salt needed for the upma.

• Slowly add the roasted godhumai rava and mix well so no lump forms.

• Simmer covered and cook until all the water is absorbed and the rava is cooked through.

• Remove from flame and squeeze the lime juice. Serve hot!
• This would be a perfect filling breakfast for a long day!