Khara Bath Recipe

Khara Bath also known as Rava bath is a savory breakfast dish from Karnataka cuisine and is a staple served in the Karnataka Tiffin centers and restaurants. The dish is prepared on the same lines as the South Indian Rava Upma but spiced differently with an aromatic spice blend. Khara Bath as the name says is a savory pudding/ porridge like dish where semolina is cooked with hot spices, curry leaves, mixed vegetables and tempering spices.

About Khara Bath

It is delicious, spicy and aromatic that anyone will love it for an anytime meal. In restaurants it is served with coconut chutney but honestly you don’t need a side at all. It’s so good to eat on its own. When my family is too bored with the plain old rava upma, I make this for a change.

If you ever ate this khara bath in any restaurant and loved it, then you may be knowing that no 2 restaurants serve the same tasting dish. That’s because everyone has their own secret spice blend to make the dish smell and taste great. To make this at home, you need a good spice blend.

I use my Vangi bath powder that I shared in my Vangi bath recipe. You can also use a good Bisi bele bath powder, an aromatic sambar powder or a curry powder. But avoid using garam masala or others of the similar kind because this recipe needs something aromatic with lesser spices.

It is the roasted dal in the spice blend that makes your khara bath taste and smell amazing. If you are using store bought spice blends I recommend trying out MTR brand and it works great here. Here are some expert tips that will help you if are a newbie.

Expert Tips

• Roast the rava well on a low to medium flame until it turns crunchy and light. This step is crucial to get a fluffy and non-sticky khara bath. If you buy pre-roasted rava to save time, you may do so. I still roast mine the second time to make sure it is roasted well.
• Use generous amount of ghee and this helps to keep your dish non-sticky. If you can’t eat ghee, use half oil and half ghee.
• The amount of water to use depends on the kind of rava. If your rava has more bran you may need more water. If your khara bath looks dry after cooking, increase little more water the next time.
• If you are not happy with the spice level or the flavor, double the amount of spice blend the next time but note that it can become excessively hot if the blend has plenty of chilies included.

More Karnataka recipes
Rava idli
Akki roti
Ragi roti
Rava kesari
Goli baje

Photo Guide

How to Make Khara Bath (Stepwise photos)

Preparation

1. Skip this step if you are using double roasted semolina. Add ¾ rava to a pan and dry roast it on a low to medium flame. Keep stirring to roast evenly. Do not brown the rava as it changes the flavor of khara bath. Keep this aside to cool.

2. Chop finely onions, tomatoes, chilies, beans, carrot and capsicum. Mince or grate the ginger. Rinse peas and curry leaves as well. You will need the following quantities:

• 1 green chilli chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped (3 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp capsicum finely chopped
• ½ small carrot finely chopped
• 3 tbsp green peas frozen (about an handful)
• 1 small tomato deseeded and fine chopped

Make Khara Bath

3. Heat 1½ tbsp ghee.

4. Add ¼ tsp mustard seeds to the hot ghee. When they begin to pop, add ¾ tsp urad dal and 10 to 12 whole cashews split. I have also used ¾ tsp chana dal.

5. Stir and fry all of them until the dal turns golden. Then add in 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 sprig curry leaves. Fry them for a minute, until aromatic.

6. Add onions and chilies. Fry until transparent.

7. Add in all the veggies and fry for 2 mins. Cover and cook on a low heat until they turn tender. Tomatoes should break down after this step.

8. Add ½ tsp salt, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric and ¾ to 1 teaspoon vangi bath powder. If you do not have it you can just use any other spice powder like sambar powder or pav bhaji masala.

9. Pour 2¼ cups water and mix. Taste teat and adjust salt and spice.

10. When the water comes to a rapid boil, reduce the flame to medium or low. Pour the rava to the water in a slow stream with your left hand. Keep stirring the water with your other hand. Quickly check if there are any lumps & break.

11. Lower the flame completely and cover the pot.

12. Turn off the stove when the water is absorbed. Keep the khara bath covered for another 5 mins.

13. Add chopped coriander leaves and half tbsp ghee. Mix well.

14. Squeeze in some lemon juice.

Serve khara bath with coconut chutney.

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