Rava kichadi or sooji kichadi is a south Indian breakfast. Step by step pictures, quick video recipe. Soft and loose textured rava kichadi.
Rava kichadi is one of my top most favourites. I can live with it. I always love all the recipes with rava/ sooji/ semolina. Upma, dosa, kichadi, pongal…everything 😊. Though Aj and Vj are not big fans, they can eat once in a while. I too make rarely because its greasy and I prefer wheat rava upma for health reasons. I make this along with other tiffin items if friends/ relatives visit. The soft texture and the ghee smell in the kichadi tastes and smells out of this world. Also the yellow colour and vegetables we add makes it colourful.
I have updated with video. In the video, I have used 1 & ½ cups of vegetables – tomato, carrot, beans, green peas, potato, capsicum. I have added coriander leaves for extra flavour. Also used 5 cups water instead of 4 cups. 4 cups water will give firmer result while with 5 cups water, you will get more loose, softer results.
While adding 5 cups water, it needs more ghee + oil than when we use 4 cups water. If you reduce the ghee or oil, your kichadi will be sticky.
If you do not want to use this much ghee or oil, please skip making this, otherwise you cannot do justice to the recipe. Best when had hot/ warm. 
Rava kichadi recipe
Ingredients
- Rava/ sooji/ semolina - 1 cup
- Onion - 1
- Tomato - 1
- Carrot - 1 small
- Green peas fresh/frozen - ¼ cup
- Green chillies - 5
- Ginger - 2 tsp chopped finely
- Turmeric - ¼ tsp
- Salt - As needed
- Water - 4 cups Use 5 cups for softer and more loose texture
- Ghee - 1 tbsp
To Temper
- Oil - 2 tbsp
- Mustard - ½ tsp
- Chana dal - 1 tbsp
- Urad dal - 2 tsp
- Curry leaves - a sprig
Instructions
- Soak chana dal and urad dal for an hour(optional). Slice onion lengthwise, chop tomatoes,carrot and slit green chillies.
- In a big kadai/ pressure pan (I used my mini cooker) heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table.
- Fry for a minute and then add onion, green chillies, ginger and fry until onion turns transparent. Side by side, boil 4 cups of water.
- Roast rava well in a tsp of oil without changing colour.I used roasted rava, so skipped this step.
- Add the vegetables and fry well for 2 minutes in medium flame. Add ghee while frying. In goes rava, mix well. Add turmeric and salt.
- Mix well and add the boiling water carefully to this, with flame lowered. Check for salt.
- Mix well, wait until the water gets absorbed by the sooji. Once it gets thick, cook covered in low flame for 8-10 minutes. Give it a mix.
Video
Notes
- You can add your choice of vegetables like beans, potato,capsicum as I have used in the video.
- For me, the finely chopped ginger is a must in my kichadi as it makes it smell great and also helps in digesting the oil and ghee in the kichadi. If you finely chop the ginger, it will not be coming in mouth as it gets soft while cooking.
- Ghee also adds a great flavour, so don't forget to add.
- If you reduce oil and ghee in the recipe, the kichadi may not have the same texture as in the picture.
- I did not add tomato that day when I clicked. But I usually add. Updated video has tomato and coriander leaves.
- You can boil water by adding it after you fry the vegetables and bring to boil in the same vessel and then add roasted rava to it too.
- Boiling water side by side reduces cooking time, so I do that.
How to make rava kichadi:
- Soak chana dal and urad dal for an hour(optional). Slice onion lengthwise, chop tomatoes,carrot and slit green chillies.
- In a big kadai/ pressure pan (I used my mini cooker) heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Fry for a minute and then add onion, green chillies, ginger and fry until onion turns transparent. Side by side, boil 4 cups of water.
- Roast rava well in a tsp of oil without changing colour.I used roasted rava,so skipped this step. Add the vegetables and fry well for 2 minutes in medium flame. Add ghee while frying. Add rava and mix well. Add turmeric and salt.
- Mix well and add the boiling water carefully to this, with flame lowered. Check for salt.
- Mix well, wait until the water gets absorbed by the sooji. Once it gets thick, cook covered in low flame for 8-10 minutes. Give it a mix.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar. I love it with both. Bliss! Nothing to explain!
Add rava only to boiling water, do not heat rava with water to bring boil together. Once cooked, add generous oil or ghee and mix to cook for 1 minute or 2. It won’t be sticky. So it’s basically generous oil or ghee which fixes the sticky upma or sticky kichadi.
Upma is basically made with less water ratio and is simple with just onion alone too. Kichadi is made with more water ratio, more rich with ghee, oil and usually vegetables, tomato and turmeric are added in addition. Upma is fluffy, soft and firm while kichadi is loose in texture on top of its soft texture.
Yesterday when we have a discussion during our breakfast we all voted for this Rava kichidi as our favorite among all upmas.
Super tempting kichidi,feel like having some right now. Pretty clicks
delicious dear…join me in Fast food event – Vermicilli .
looks delicious..
Looks very tempting and authentic
I love this,looks delicious
Looks yummy yummy… Just love it….
Love the bright yellow colour of the kichadi. Very well explained. Nice beautiful clicks raji.
I love this for breakfast..Looks mighty delicious!!!
Prathima Rao
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Delicious kichadi,luks yummy with veggie…
Love that vibrant color….kichdi looks delectable….
My husband like anything made from rava but I don't. This khichadi looks really delicious. I ll make it soon, i am sure my hubby will like this.
Nice one. When I am lazy I do this khichadi, but never done side dishes. May be I should try that.
Looks yummy will try it pretty soon.. Thanks for the post
looks great.. drooling here 🙂
One of my favorites in a marriage breakfast..Looks so yum
Love Rava kitchadi!
awesome looking kichdi….and luv the clicks
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Even I love this kichadi, especially with the coconut chutney..
Simple comfort food I always crave after a vacation. Looks so delicious!
looks sooooper tempting…cant wait to giv a try now..
Tasty Appetite
Love this kichadi, wish to have it rite now for my dinner.
Delicious!! I love this too, its a real comfort food.
lovely colour and yummy kichadi. Very flavourful.
Today's recipe:
http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.com/2012/10/matar-mushroom-masala.html
Like this receipe. going to try this weekend.
I like anything with Rawa also.. Nice clicks!
great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com
delicious rava khichdi Raji… lovely appealing clicks…
Ezcookbook
This is my fav anytime…looks perfect. Feel like digging in..looks and tempts me more 🙂
Raks, Do you think this will taste good if we omit onions? Thinking this to include for Navarathri dinner menu 🙂
I think you can try priya. Because rava pongal tastes good right. So this might also work. But try not to omit ghee.
I followed your recipe verbatim and made this. It turned out awesome just like saravana bhavan's khichidi 🙂 I was drooling ever since you posted this and finally satisfied my craving by making it for Sunday breakfast 🙂
OMG…looks yummy… I am hungry now.. 🙂
lovely khichadi and perfect plate with the chutneys and sambar!!!
Sowmya
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tried this one..loved it! i never like to eat left over food..this one was so good that i ate it the next day as well! now, your blog recipes are regular items in my kitchen (i am new to cooking). Wonderful job by you 🙂
Thanks Vini, San for the feedback 🙂
Tried it and loved it on a chilly sunday afternoon!
Hubby loved it 🙂
Hai Raji. Im in salem. l like ur blog. All dishes comes out very well & Tasty. which place u lived in salem ya.
Hi,
I was just wondering(no offence) how is it different from upma??i make rava upma same way..same ingredients .only difference is i make in vessel n u made in cooker 🙂
i loved other items of ur's 🙂
We make rava upma plain without veggies,tomato and white colour and the texture is so different from this. The texture of this is more like pongal, as the water ratio is almost double as we use for upma 🙂
Tried this Rava kichadi yesterday and it came our really well, including the texture 🙂 Thanks Raks !!
Thank you 🙂
What is the green chutney served with the rave kichadi?
Its coriander coconut chutney : http://www.rakskitchen.net/2009/01/coconut-chutney-coriander-flavored.html
When add ghee for this Kitchadi?
Refer step2
Tried this today n it came perfectly. I love saravana hhavan kichadi n searched Google for the same and I got ur recipe. It is just perfect t. Thanks a lot 🙂
Really my mouth is watering now after looking at your rava kichadi photos.. Awesome photos.
Really my mouth is watering now after looking at your rava kichadi photos.. Awesome photos.
I tried out this today and really came out well!
I tried out today and really came out well!
wow.. mouth watering..
very exceptional raks. your awesome. Congrats from U.K.
Thank u so much for the clarification! I used to think that they are the same and wondered why mine is not the same as served in the hotels… really love ur recipes and ur photographs and ur easy steps of preparation. Very proud that we r from the same college..
Hi Raji! I am a regular visitor to your blog and love most of your recipes. Your presentation is one thing that keeps drawing me back to your blog. Your Rava Khichidi and Upma are a super hit at my place. I must tell you this that I never ever liked Rava Upma/Khichidi, just the sight of it would put me off. But your recipe caught my attention and I could not stop myself to go a ahead and give it a try. To my surprise I actually loved the dish and my hubby too loved it.
I have a ten month old daughter and I nurse her due to which I get these string hunger pangs, I had strong hunger pangs sometime back and quickly prepared this super easy and delicious Rava Khichidi and relished every bit of it, my husband too feasted on it. Thanks for making cooking so easy and interesting. Just today I tried three of your recipes – Pessaratu Dosa for Breakfast, Coconut Rice for diner and Rava Khichidi to save me from going to bed starving. Your are STAR!! God bless you and may you continue being a Blessing to others in every small way you can.
Hi raks can I use butter in stead of ghee…is qbb ghee okay for this..thks much..
butter may not be good. Can try qbb ghee.
Hello Raks…yes this is a deadly combo..and the recipes for the chow chiw bath is lip smacking indeed…however I wish to add that for the rava kichidi, the inclusion of peas/ beans/ capsicum instead of tomato/ onion and carror does make a taste change. Also do you see any difference between this and khara bath ?
Lovely pics adding more taste to the gastronomical delight!
Hi
in 4th step until water is absorbed we have to lower or higher flame
Where to add tomato ? Which step ?
Along with vegetables.
Until water absorbs, it should be high flame. After that cook in low flame or medium flame.
True, I think there is some difference between khara bhat and this. Khara bhat is Karnataka version, while this one is totally TN version. Yes, capsicum will sure have a huge flavour difference. I have updated video with the other veggies. 🙂
Thanks a lot for your feedback 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Thanks a lot!
Thank you Raji for this post. Did as it is today and got it good. Thank you so much.
Thanks a lot for your feedback 🙂
Your cooking style is owsm.. I always prefer to cook like you.. and the quantity you mentioned is perfect.. thanks a lot.. !!
thank you 🙂
Hey this is an amazing yet simple breakfast 🙂 I don’t know much of cooking .. I love your recipes n the way u write them n the pictures making it so easy for an amateur like me to bring out the best 🙂 made this kichdi for breaky today n I felt so proud of myself 🙂 thank u
So happy to know, Thank you 🙂