Step 1

In a pan, take 3 tablespoons of melted ghee, and lightly heat it up.

Step 2

To the ghee, first add 1½ teaspoon of urad dal, and lightly roast for a few seconds.

Step 3

Then 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, and roast for a few seconds, till the mustard seeds start to pop.

Step 4

Then add 1 green chilli (slit in two) and 5-6 big curry leaves, and lightly roast them for a few seconds.

Step 5

After which add 1½ tablespoon of chopped ginger, and lightly roast for 1-2 minutes.

Step 6

And then add in the 1 cup of rava (semolina), mix it in with the tempering, and lightly roast it for about 5-7 minutes on medium-low flame, stirring continuously, till it starts to slightly change color to a dark cream / light golden brown.

Step 7

Do not roast the semolina on high flame as it might get burnt without getting evenly roasted. The roasting time can change based on the size of the granules, and how high the flame is. So it's best to watch out for the color to know when it is roasted.

Step 8

When done, add 1 teaspoon salt & 1 teaspoon sugar to it, and mix it in.

Step 9

Then lower the flame (or even turn it off), and add in 3 cups of hot boiling water, and stir it in. Lowering the flame will help reduce splatter from adding hot water to the semolina. Or you can hold a splatter screen on top to contain the splatter.

Step 10

At this point, also add in ¼ cup of grated coconut, and mix it in.

Step 11

As the semolina soaks up the water, you can increase the heat back to medium, or start the gas back on, if you had turned it off.

Step 12

Stir continuously while the semolina soaks up all the excess water. It will take a couple of minutes.

Step 13

When done, it'll start to leave ghee on the sides. At this point, turn off the heat.

Step 14

Rava Upma is ready to serve!