Rice Rava & How to Make it
By Swasthi on July 12, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Rice Rava also known as biyyam rava (or biyyapu rava, uppuddu rava) is coarse ground rice used in many traditional Andhra recipes like Kudumulu, Undrallu, Upma and Dibba rotti. This is different from the idli rava, which is used to make traditional Idli in Andhra & Karnataka. In this post I share how to make rice rava the traditional way that will give you soft kudumulu, undrallu and dibba rotti.
You can also use this rice rava to make upma, after roasting it very well.
Rice Rava
Since Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner, thought of sharing this as a separate post so you don’t go wrong. I am not aware if this is available in the grocery stores but we always make this at home since it is for Naivedyam.
We want the undrallu and kudumulu to be non-sticky and fluffy so always use aged rice. Avoid rice that has been harvested recently as this kind of rava turns sticky and hard after cooking.
Sona masuri is the gold standard for this and I am not aware if it can be made with any other kind of rice. On occasions I have used aged basmati rice and ponni which also turned out good.
To make the rice rava, rice is soaked for at least 1 to 2 hours and then dried on a cloth till completely dry. It is pulsed or ground in a blender coarsely.
If you do not have enough time, you can wash the rice instantly and dry pat dry. Soaking gives your undrallu a soft texture and they won’t turn hard even upon cooling.
In case you do not know if the rice you have is aged or not, simply go for the Aged Basmati Rice as it is clearly labelled on the pack. This kind of rice is easily available in most parts of the world.
I usually make this rice rava one to two days ahead of the festival.
How coarse to blend the rava depends on your taste. You can even make it like semolina or even like coarse rice flour. All work well to make kudumulu and undrallu.
You can use this rice rava to make the following dishes
Kudumulu/ undrallu
Bellam undrallu
Kobbari kudumulu, uppu kudumulu
Chalimidi undrallu
How to Make Rice Rava (Stepwise Photos)
1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak for at least 2 hours. If you do not have time, you can just wash and drain off in a colander.
2. After the water is drained completely, transfer the rice to a dry clean cloth.
3. Spread it evenly and fan dry for about 2 hrs or sun dry till they dry completely
4. Powder the rice to rava or flour in a mixer jar
5. Sieve to remove large grains. This is optional, if you don’t have large grains
6. If using new harvest rice, sieve and separate the flour. Use only the rava for undrallu and store aside the flour for making chalimidi or for dosas. This must be done to avoid undrallu from becoming sticky. * this step is not required if using aged rice
7. Make sure the rava is dry fully before you move it to a jar.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Rice Rava, How to Make Rice Rava
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup rice (preferably aged rice)
- 3 cups water
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash the rice thoroughly in lots of water. Drain the water and soak for at least 1 to 2 hours in enough fresh water. If you do not have time, you can skip this step.
- Later drain off to a colander. Let it rest for a while for the water to drain completely. Transfer the rice to a clean dry cloth.
- Spread it evenly and fan dry or air dry for about 2 hrs. Alternately you can sun dry till completely moisture free.
How to Make Rice Rava
- Add the rice to a blender or grinder. Run the machine to powder the rice to rava. (The texture should be of semolina).
- Transfer this to a sieve/filter and pass the rice rava to remove large grains. This is optional, if you don't have large grains you can skip it.
- If using new harvest rice, sieve and separate the flour as it makes your food sticky after cooking. Use only the rava for undrallu and store aside the flour for making chalimidi or for dosas. This must be done to avoid undrallu from becoming sticky. * this step is not required if using aged rice
- Make sure the rava is dry fully before you move it to a jar.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Rice rava recipe first published in September 2012. Updated & republished in July 2022.
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Can this also be made with broken rice(nookalu in telugu )?
Yes you can but they should be of the same quality
In the recipes that uses semolina, can I replace it with this rice rava? for ex can i make ragi idli using ragi flour and rice rava?
If I want use the rava immediately can I skip the stage of drying?
yes you can skip drying. But make sure the lentil batter is ground slightly thicker. Moist rava may make the batter runny after mixing it. If the batter is runny you will not get the crust on top
Love the pic!! and the bowl….I to make rice rawa the same way!
hehe, 🙂
Good Sweet.<br />Looks so tasty
Useful post dear. Like it.