Chow chow bath recipe with step by step photos. Chow chow bath features as a hearty breakfast dish on the menu of almost all the popular eateries and tiffin houses across the ‘garden city,’ Bangalore (present day Bengaluru). The unique thing about it is that it is composed of 3 different dishes namely Khara Bath (savory), Rava Kesari (sweet) and coconut chutney. Follow this post and learn to make this dish at your home.
On occasions I prepare chow chow bath as breakfast or brunch. I have shared the individual recipes of both rava bhath and rava kesari. In this post also I have shared both the recipes. Though for a detailed post, you can check the recipes here:
The combination of sweet dish along with a savory dish accompanied with coconut chutney is too good. So do try this recipe.
Since the Chow Chow Bath is quite a wholesome, filling meal in itself, I usually prepare it not just for breakfasts, but as weekend brunches too. The dish is also quite appealing to eyes as well because it looks beautiful when presented in its original, authentic way.
Also preparing this does take more time, than if you just had to prepare one dish. Two common ingredients in both the recipes are sooji (rava or cream of wheat) and ghee. Do use the fine variety of rava and not the coarser one. Ghee can be added less or more as per your preferences.
I prepare a very simple coconut chutney for chow chow bath. I have mentioned the recipe of coconut chutney in the recipe card. I generally do not temper the chutney, but if you want you can temper. You can also make your own favorite coconut chutney to accompany chow chow bath.
There is no particular order in which you can cook this dish. You can cook the rava kesari bath first and then the savory rava bath or vice versa.
If you have some help in cooking, you can cook both together simultaneously in two pans or kadai. But if you are doing it alone, then better cook one dish first and then move to the other.
How to make Chow Chow Bath
A) roasting rava
1. Heat a pan or kadai first. Add 1 cup rava or cream of wheat (fine variety).
2. Begin to roast the rava. Stir often while roasting the rava. The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. Don’t brown the rava.
3. Roasting takes about 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat. Then switch off the heat. Once the rava becomes fragrant and starts to look dry and crisp, then switch off the heat and add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside.
4. Take ½ cup of the roasted rava and keep aside. Half of the rava will be added in savory khara bhath and the other half in sweet kesari bhath.
B) frying cashews
1. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil.
2. Add 20 to 22 cashews.
3. Stirring them often on a low to medium heat fry till they get golden. Keep aside.
C) Preparing rava bath
1. Lower the heat and in the same pan, add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon chana dal and ½ teaspoon urad dal.
2. On a low heat saute the lentils and mustard seeds, till the chana dal and urad dal get golden. The mustard seeds will also crackle by then.
3. Next add 3 tablespoons of finely chopped onions.
4. On a low heat, saute for a minute.
5. Then add the following veggies:
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped capsicum (bell pepper)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons green peas
6. Mix very well and add 7 to 8 curry leaves.
7. Season with ½ teaspoon sugar and salt as required.
8. Then add 1 teaspoon vangi bhaat masala. Stir and mix very well.
9. Now add 1.5 cups water. Mix very well.
10. Bring the water to boil at medium heat.
11. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low. Then add the roasted rava in two to three batches.
12. As soon as you add the first batch, stir very well. So that lumps are not formed.
13. This way add the roasted rava in batches. Stir very well after adding each batch.
14. Now add the next batch and then stir again very well.
15. Finish off the entire roasted rava this way and mix very well.
16. Then cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
17. Open the lid
18. Then add 2 tablespoons ghee.
18. Also add 2 to 3 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves.
19. Mix very well, so that the ghee is mixed evenly with the khara bhath. Lastly add 10 to 12 fried cashews. Mix again. Keep aside.
You can also place the rava bhath mixture in small to medium steel bowls or in small to medium tart moulds and let them become warm. Once warm then unmold and serve with kesari bhath.
Preparing kesari bath
1. In another thick bottomed pan or kadai, take 1.5 cups water. add ⅓ cup sugar (60 grams). You can also add ½ cup sugar for a more sweet taste. keep the pan on a low flame and stir very well, so that the sugar dissolves.
2. Add raisins and a pinch of saffron strands. I have added raisins in the sugar solution and they do soften up while cooking.
If you want you can even fry the raisins with cashews. Add 1 to 2 drops of natural food color extract if using or else skip it. Mix very well. Here I have used an orange color natural extract.
3. Mix very well.
4. On a low to medium heat bring this sugar solution to a boil.
5. When it comes to a boil, then lower the heat. Add the roasted rava in 2 to 3 batches. First add one batch
6. Then quickly stir so that no lumps are formed.
7. Continue to add the remaining batches of rava this way and mix very well.
8. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee.
9. Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder.
10. Mix very well, so that the ghee is distributed evenly in the kesari bath.
11. Cover the pan and on a low heat or sim let the mixture cook. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
12. The rava will absorb all the water and cook. The mixture will also thicken. You should not see any whitish or creamish tiny specks on the rava. If you see then this means that the rava is still not cooked well.
13. Once the rava is cooked well then add the fried cashews. Mix very well.
14. Serve both kesari and rava bath together hot or warm along with coconut chutney.
You can also pour the kesari bath mixture in small to medium steel bowls or in small to medium tart moulds and let them become warm. Once warm then unmold and serve.
If you are looking for more Rava recipes then do check:
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Chow Chow Bath
Ingredients
for roasting rava
- 1 cup fine rava or 160 grams fine rava (sooji or cream of wheat)
for frying cashews
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 20 to 22 cashews
for preparing rava bath
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon chana dal (split husked bengal gram)
- ½ teaspoon urad dal (split husked black gram)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped onions
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped capsicum (bell pepper)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons frozen green peas
- 7 to 8 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon vangi bhaat masala
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (optional) – to make the dish spicy
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons Ghee – to be added later
- 2 to 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- few wedges of lime or lemon while serving
for preparing rava kesari bath
- 1.5 cups water
- ½ tablespoon raisins
- ⅓ cup sugar or 60 grams sugar or you can add ½ cup of sugar for more sweeter version.
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- a pinch of saffron strands
- 1 to 2 drops of natural orange food color extract or a pinch of turmeric powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee to be added later
for coconut chutney
- ⅓ cup tightly packed grated fresh coconut
- 2 tablespoons roasted chana dal (roasted bengal gram)
- 1 green chili – chopped
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water for grinding chutney
- salt as required
Instructions
roasting rava
- Heat a pan or kadai first. Add the 1 cup rava or cream of wheat (fine variety).
- Begin to roast the rava. Stir often while roasting the rava. The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. Don’t brown the rava.
- Roasting takes about 5 to 6 minutes on a low flame. Then switch off the flame. Once the rava becomes fragrant and starts to look dry and crisp, then switch off the flame and add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside.
- Take 1/2 cup of the roasted rava and keep aside. Half of the rava will be added in savory khara bhath and the other half in sweet kesari bhath.
frying cashews
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil. Add 20 to 22 cashews.
- Stirring them often on a low to medium flame fry till they get golden. Keep aside.
preparing rava bath
- Lower the flame and in the same pan, add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon chana dal and 1/2 teaspoon urad dal.
- On a low flame saute the lentils and mustard seeds, till the chana dal and urad dal gets golden. The mustard seeds will also crackle by then.
- Next add 3 tablespoons finely chopped onions. On a low flame, saute for a minute.
- Then add 3 tablespoons finely chopped capsicum, 3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot, 3 tablespoons finely chopped tomatoes and 2 tablespoons green peas.
- Mix very well and add 7 to 8 curry leaves.
- Season with 1/2 teaspoon sugar and salt as required.
- Then add 1 teaspoon vangi bhaat masala. Mix very well.
- Now add 1.5 cups water. Mix very well. Bring the water to boil at medium flame.
- When the water comes to a boil, reduce the flame to a low. Then add the roasted rava in two to three batches.
- As soon as you add first batch, stir very well. So that lumps are not formed.
- This way add in batches. Stir very well after adding each batch.
- Cover pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Open the lid and then add 2 tablespoons ghee. Also add 2 to 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves.
- Mix very well, so that the ghee is mixed evenly with the khara bhath.
- Lastly add 10 to 12 fried cashews. Mix again.
- Serve mtr style rava bath with some slices of lemon and coconut chutney.
preparing kesari bath
- In another thick bottomed pan or kadai, take 1.5 cups water.
- Add 1/3 cup sugar (60 grams). You can also add 1/2 cup sugar for a more sweet taste.
- Keep the pan on a low flame and stir very well, so that the sugar dissolves.
- Add raisins and a pinch of saffron strands. I have added raisins in the sugar solution and they do soften up while cooking. If you want you can even fry the raisins with cashews.
- Add 1 to 2 drops of natural food color extract if using or else skip it. Mix very well.
- On a low-medium flame bring this sugar solution to a boil.
- When it comes to a boil, then lower the flame. Add the roasted rava in 2 to 3 batches. First add one batch and quickly stir so that no lumps are formed. Continue to add the remaining batch of rava and mix very well.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee & 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder.
- Mix very well, so that the ghee is distributed evenly in the kesari bhath.
- Cover the pan and on a low flame or sim let the mixture cook.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- The rava will absorb all the water and cook. The mixture will also thicken. You should not see any whitish or creamish tiny specks on the rava. If you see then this means that the rava is still not cooked well. Once the rava is cooked well then add the remaining fried cashews.
- Mix very well.
- Serve kesari bath hot or warm. You can also pour the kesari bath mixture in small to medium steel bowls or in small to medium tart moulds and let them become warm. Once warm then unmold and serve.
preparing coconut chutney
- Grind all the ingredients mentioned under the heading ‘for coconut chutney’ in a grinder jar. Add more water if required while grinding chutney. Remove and keep aside.
Notes
– if using vangi bhath masala powder, then too for a spicy taste you can add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder.
– you can add 2 teaspoons vangi bhath masala powder also.
– 2 tablespoons of finely chopped french beans can also be added with the rest of the veggies.
This Chow Chow Bath from the archives first published in October 2016 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Wow I never tried this before, but it looks so yummy, i’m definitely going to make it! Thank you!
very nice pics. for some reason recipe listed doesn’t intend properly in app. so, difficult to read
i know chaitra. this is because we are changing a few things in the website. this will get sorted out in a week.