Rava Kesari
September 30, 2014

A simple yet delicious dessert made for festivals using rava cooked with a sugar syrup and flavoring of your choice

Cuisine Indian
Course Desserts
Serves 20
Method Stovetop
Difficulty Hard
Cook Time 30  minutes
  • Cuisine Indian
  • Course Desserts
  • Serves 20
  • Method Stovetop
  • Difficulty Hard
  • Cook Time 30  minutes
Ingredients
sooji/semolina/rava
2   cup
sugar
2   cup
rose syrup(optional-you can use food color or other flavorings)
1/4   cup
ghee
1/3   cup
cashew nuts
20  
raisins
20  
cardamom powder
2   pinch
milk/cream
2   cup
Instructions

1. Coat a sheet pan(or a flat plate with rim) with 1 tablespoons ghee to transfer the cooked mixture.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a pan,roast the cashews and take them into a bowl and then roast the raisins and take them into a different bowl.

3. In the same pan add the remaining ghee and add the rava and fry in medium flame stirring constantly till the rava will start turning very light brown.Transfer the mixture to a plate and set aside.

4. Add 2 cups milk and 2 cups water to the pan and bring to boil,add the cardamom powder and stir.. On a medium flame,add the fried rava little by little to the boiling water and keep stirring simultaneously.Make sure lumps do not form and cook for 4 minutes.

5. Add the rose syrup,raisins and sugar and stir well. The mixture will now start to get a little watery due to the sugar,mix well and mash the lumps to get a uniform color.Keep stirring for about 5 minutes till the mixture starts to turn in one big lump and not sticking to the pan.

6. Transfer the mixture to the sheet pan that has been previously greased with ghee and spread the kesari in it and flatten it well.

7. After it completely cooled down cut the kesari into diamond shapes and press a cashew on each piece and serve.If using food color instead of rose syrup,you can add it in the milk directly,rose syrup contains sugar which will stop the process of cooking the rava if added in the milk. You can add more ghee to your preference. This recipe yields a slightly less sweet kesari,you can add 1/2 cup extra sugar for a sweeter version.Some people like the kesari in a lump served in a bowl rather than diamond shaped,you can cook the rava for a shorter period and remove it before it forms a single lump.Use your favorite flavorings instead of rose syrup