Rava Kesari | ராவா கேசரி | Semolina Pudding

Rava Kesari or Semolina pudding is very popular Indian dessert. It is the simplest and delicious sweet which you can prepare in jiffy, when you have unexpected guest. My mom makes the best Kesari. No matter what she prepares, I just love it. I guess everybody will have the same opinion about their mother :). I miss my mom's tasty food after coming to US.

 Ingredients :-
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Rava / Sooji / Semolina	½ cup
Sugar	¾ to 1 cup
Ghee	3 - 4 tbsp
Water	1 ½ cup
Saffron	Pinch
Milk	1 tbsp
Cashews & Raisins	1 tbsp

Method :-
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1). Heat a little ghee, fry cashew nuts, raisins and keep it aside.  Heat ghee and roast cashews, raisins till golden brown, set aside. Mix saffron in a tbsp of warm milk.

2). In the same pan, roast the rava in low flame until it starts to change color and u get nice aroma. Switch off and transfer it to a plate.

3). Add water in a pan and allow it to boil. When it starts bubbling, reduce the flame to low and add the roasted rava slowly (little by little) by stirring continuously. Keep covered for a minute until the rava gets cooked.

4). Once the rava is cooked, add sugar and mix well till it dissolves. It tends to loosen so stir continuously. Add ghee and keep stirring till it forms a mass leaving the sides of the pan. Add saffron milk, nuts and raisins, give a quick stir and switch it off. Enjoy as such or transfer to a ghee greased plate and sread the kesari. After it cools down, cut it into desired shapes and serve warm !

Notes :-
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# Do not over-roast the sooji, then you will get burnt smell in the kesari.
# Be careful while adding rava to the boiling water. It may tend to form lumps so keep stirring continuously. Keep the flame in low as the bubbles may splash. 
# Make sure you add sugar only after rava is cooked fully else it will affect the kesari taste and texture. 
# Saffron is optional it just gives good texture and flavor.
If you like elachi flavor just skip saffron and add a generous pinch of cardamom powder. 
# Use few drops of flavored essence (pineapple, rose, mango)  for good flavor.  
# To make it rich, add milk instead of water. But it reduces shelf life.
# Dont compromise on ghee, as it makes the kesari more tasty and gives a glossy look.
# You can keep refrigerated for 1 or 2 days. Microwave it for a minute and serve warm. 

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Related Posts :-
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Click here for more :- Desserts Recipes
Click here for more :- Festival Recipes 
Click here for more :- Sweets Recipes      

   Cheers,