Tomato upma recipe with video – Sharing a quick breakfast recipe of Andhra style tomato rava upma. This can also be served for lunch or dinner and takes just 15 minutes to make 2 servings. This is almost the same as the South Indian style rava upma just with an addition of ripe tomatoes. I made this some time ago along with this quick masala tea for my brunch. This tomato upma can be served alone or with some pickle, chutney, podi or papad if having for lunch.
This tomato upma tastes slightly tangy and hot that comes from the green chilies. This tastes best when served hot or warm.
Do note that rava or suji (semolina) is a refined food and must be consumed in moderation for health reasons.
For more upma varieties, you can check
Bread upma
Semiya upma
Oats upma
Poha/ aval upma
Tomato upma recipe
Tomato upma recipe | Andhra style tomato rava upma recipe
Andhra style tomato upma is one of the upma varieties from south Indian cuisine, made for breakfast or quick dinner. Tomato upma can be served alone or with podi. You can also add mix vegetable like carrots, peas and capsicum.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- ½ cup semolina or rava/ suji
- 1 ¼ cup water
- Salt as needed
- 1 tbsp ghee or oil
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- ½ tsp mustard
- 1 tsp chana dal or bengal gram
- 1 tsp urad dal or skinned black gram
- 10 cashews , Split or as needed
- 2 green chilies slit
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 Pinch hing
- 1 onion , medium , sliced
- 2 pinches turmeric (prefer organic)
- ¾ cup tomatoes , chopped, ripe , (preferably deseeded)
- 2 tbsp Coriander leaves , finely chopped few
How to make the recipe
Preparation
Dry roast rava on a medium heat until it turns crunchy. Stir often in between to prevent burning.
- While it toasts, Wash, deseed and chop tomatoes. Slice onions and green chilies.
- Set the rava aside.
Making tomato upma
- Heat the same pan with oil or ghee.
- Add cumin, mustard, dals and cashews. Saute all together until golden.
Then add onions, curry leaves and green chilies. Saute for 2 to 3 mins. Sprinkle hing.
- Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute for 2 mins. Cook covered on a medium heat until they turn mushy.
Pour water and bring it to a boil. Taste the water and adjust the salt. The water must be slightly salty.
- When the water comes to a boil, turn the fire to medium. Slowly pour the rava in a stream stirring with the other hand using a ladle. Stir well to check there are no lumps.
- Cook covered on a medium heat until the water is absorbed.
Stir well. Add some ghee & chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve tomato upma hot or warm.
Recipe Notes
Video of tomato upma recipe
The below video is to make 4 servings but the method made is same.
Preparation for tomato upma recipe
1. Add rava to a pot and roast on a medium flame until crunchy. While roasting the rava, slice onions and chop tomatoes and green chilies. Set the rava aside preferably to a bowl for easy pouring.
2. Heat oil or ghee in the pot. Ghee lends a good flavor to this tomato upma. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal, urad dal and cashews all at one time. Saute until the dals turn golden.
3. Add curry leaves, green chilies and onions. Saute until the onions turn slightly pink. This takes about 1 to 2 mins.
4. Next add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute for 1 to 2 mins.
5. Cover and cook until they turn mushy & completely soft.
6. Saute for another minute on a high flame, this enhances the flavor of tomatoes.
How to make tomato upma
7. Add water, stir and check the salt. The water must be slightly salty. Bring it to a boil.
8. Reduce the flame to medium. Slowly pour rava in a stream to the boiling water. While you pour stir the water to prevent lumps of rava.
9. Quickly stir once to make sure no lumps have formed.
10. Cover and cook until the moisture is absorbed.
11. Stir well. Switch off and add coriander leaves.
Grease a bowl with ghee and scoop the upma to it. Press down evenly with a spoon. Invert it on a plate and shake off gently.
Garnish tomato upma with cashews and coriander leaves. Serve hot or warm.
Vanu says
Thanks
Vanu says
I’m a beginner, which kind of Sooji to use for upma ? In USA, they have fine, coarse, medium.. I’m confused?!.And also what these types of sooji used for?
TIA
swasthi says
Hi Vanu
You can use any of these to make upma. But fine suji is the one I have used in this post.
Archana lokesh says
Really very useful for new learners……thank you for sharing your recipes
ryan norris says
All your recipes , whether it’s drumstick and potato curry, mutton curry , tawa pulao , tomato upma , rava uttapa to just name a few are absolutely delicious.Thanks Swasthi for teaching me to cook , I was making many mistakes before but now my husband and children just polish the plates clean.
God bless you
swasthi says
Welcome Ryan Norris
Thanks a lot for trying so many recipes. Very happy to know the recipes are useful
Thanks a lot for the wishes.
🙂
colleen says
I miss this so much in Canada, Upma was my daily breakfast which kept full all day long. Now I buy some breakfast from oceanpalate Indian breakfast though; but thanks for the step by step procedure Il make this my self but on a holiday!
swasthi says
Hi Colleen
You are welcome
Yes do try it on a weekend.
Thanks for the comment