Chow Chow Bath

• Rava or Semolina - 1 cup
• Onions (finely chopped) - 1 no.
• Tomato (finely chopped)- 1 no.
• Green Chili - 1 no.
• Ginger - a cube
• Water - 3 cups
• Salt as required
• Oil - 2-3 teaspoons
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Ural dal - 1 teaspoon
• Red Chili - 1 no.
• Bengal gram - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves as required

Preparation:

1. The sweet and the savory can be prepared side by side and the recipe for sweet follows first.
2. Take a thick bottom pan, heat ghee. Add Cashews, kismis and the rava. Fry until the rava is out of raw smell.
3. Pour the water and bring the mixture to boil.
4. Add sugar and mix well. At this stage, a teaspoon of ghee can be put in to add taste. Add the food color (I used yellow) and elachi powder.
5. Remove from heat when the mixture is well cooked and looks shiny.
6. For the upma recipe, take a thick bottomed pan, heat oil. Fry the rava until raw smell goes off. remove from heat.
7. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, red chilli, urad dal , bengal gram and curry leaves.
8. When the mustard seeds splutter, quickly add th finely chopped ginger and green chilli.
9. Add onions and saute until golden brown. Add tomatoes and fry until they are soft.
10. Pour the water, add salt. When the water comes to boil, add the rava.
11. Keep mixing it well enough to remove any lumps. Keep it on low heat for 10 minutes when all the water has been evaporated.
12. Serve the 2 dishes together on the same plate. The upma tastes best with coconut chutney.