1. Add 1 & 1/2 cups fine semolina to a skillet and fry for 2-3 minutes until it turns very light brown and crunchy. 
2. Stir continuously while cooking. Once very light brown take out and keep the rava aside after it has been roasted.
3. Wipe the pan with a paper towel to remove any semolina that remains on it, and add 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee. If vegan use any vegetable oil. But the best flavors come when ghee is used. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Then add mustard seeds. 
4. Add cumin seeds, chana dal (husked and split Bengal gram) and urad dal (husked and split black gram) should now be added. Then add a little pinch of hing (Asafoetida).
5. Fry often until the chana dal and urad dal begin to brown. Then add ginger chopped and fry till raw smell goes away.
6. Add 10 or 12 peanuts and curry leave and fry for 1 minute on medium-low heat.
7. Onions finely chopped should now be added.
8. On a low or medium-low heat, sauté the onions until they become translucent. Stir in the finely chopped green chilies and season with salt to taste.
9. Add 1/2 tsp sugar at this point but it’s optional and stir well.
10. Add salt to taste and mix well.
11. Add potatoes, tomatoes and then stir well.
12. Then add carrots, corn, green peas, then cook and cover for 3 minutes on medium flame.. Mix everything well.
13. Add 3.5 cups of water and let it boil for 5 minutes.
14. Check the taste of the water after mixing well. The taste of the water should be slightly salty. When eating, you can always sprinkle salt from the top if the salt becomes low in the dish. Then add 3 to 4 tablespoons of roasted semolina or sooji in batches and mix well.
15. Then keep adding the rest of the roasted semolina also in batches and mix well. 
16. Stir well and mix quickly. As the rava grains absorb water, they will swell and become cooked.
17. Last but not least, add about 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander (cilantro). If you wish, you can add more. 
18. Make sure the pan is covered with a lid. As the semolina soaks the water, covering the pan will make it softer.
19. Slices of lemon should be served with hot upma. The upma is also sprinkled with sev (fried gram flour vermicelli). Even though this isn’t how upma is traditionally served, the folks at home prefer this method. In addition to coconut chutney or lemon pickle, idli podi may be served. Rava Upma is ready to get served. 

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