Bansi Rava Upma | Lapsi Upma

Recipe for Indian style Semolina | Bansi Rava Upma | Godhumai Rava Upma | Samba rava Upma | Broken wheat upma | Lapsi Upma (alternate names)

Upma often evokes highly strong reactions. You either love it or you hate it. I often say, if you hate upma, you haven’t eaten a good one. Also, if you have ever been served cold, lumpy upma, I can understand if you are scarred for life. For me, upma is an anytime meal. Something I can make for myself for a quick lunch in <15 minutes, load it with veggies and a good spoonful of coconut oil or ghee, and such a divine tasting meal it turns into.

While we make all kinds of upma – the sooji rava upma, semia upma, bansi rava upma, arisi upma (rice rava upma), this bansi rava is quite my favourite. It has much lesser tendency to turn stodgy like the regular rava upma.

What is the difference between Bansi rava and regular sooji rava?

Both kinds of semolina (rava) are obtained from wheat, albeit different varieties. Bansi rava is darker in colour than plain semolina rava. It is my understanding that bansi rava is stone ground wheat, while sooji rava is machine milled and polished that gives it the white colour.

Bansi rava is quite popular in Karnataka and in many other South Indian homes. My grandparents often have bansi rava upma for dinner as it makes for a light dinner.

No matter what upma you have, have it fresh off the pan, have it hot! There is NO other way to eat upma 🙂

Vegan tip: To make this vegan, avoid the ghee and use coconut oil instead.

Bansi Rava Upma

Bansi Rava upma is an anytime meal, something you can make in <15 minutes. Load it up with veggies and a good spoonful of coconut oil or ghee in the end and it turns into such a fulfilling meal! An Indian version of all-day breakfast.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 2 serving

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: south indian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil coconut oil or
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal split
• 1 tsp green chillies finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger grated
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1/2 onion , finely chopped
• 1/3 cup green peas frozen or fresh
• 1 cup rava bansi
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsps coconut grated (optional)
• 1 tsp ghee (optional)

Method

 

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil.
2. Add the mustard seeds and udad dal. Once seeds splutter, reduce the flame, add the finely chopped chillies and curry leaves.
3. Add the grated ginger, finely chopped onion and stir on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes until the onions have softened.
4. Add the frozen peas (in case of fresh peas, boil them for 5 minutes in water until partly cooked and then add), bansi rava (semolina) and stir on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes. The rava will turn slightly darker in colour and become aromatic.
5. Meanwhile, boil 2 cups water on the side with 1 tsp salt.
6. Once the water comes to a boil, add to the rava in the pan with constant stirring. Reduce the flame to low and keep covered, allowing to steam cook for around 7 minutes.
7. Open the lid, fluff up the cooked rava (semolina) and garnish with fresh coconut and ghee.
8. Serve hot with some yogurt or any chutney.

Notes

Also try this traditional Tamil recipe - Arisi Upma