Rava Kesari: Part 2 of AACP's Comfort Food Series

In my childhood days, I usually liked eating fried Indian desserts. However, there are quite some non-fried easy-to-make desserts that I like. One such dish that quenches my sugar cravings is 'Rava kesari'.

This dessert is quite common in South India. In some parts of India, it is also called as 'Kesari bath' or 'Suji kesari'. 'Rava' or 'Suji' means semolina. Kesari refers to the saffron color.

Servings:

Four

Ingredients:

Butter - 2 tbsps

Cashews or almonds - 12 pieces

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Semolina - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup or to your taste

Ground cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Saffron threads (or Kesari powder) - a pinch

Water - 1 ½-2 ½ cups

Cooking Instructions:

1. Saute cashews and raisins in 1 tbsp of butter on a low flame. Keep the sauteed cashews/almonds and raisins aside for garnishing in the end.

2. Soak a pinch of saffron threads in 1 tbsp warm water and keep it aside.

3. In a pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter, add the semolina, and roast it in low flame for 7-8 minutes and keep sauteeing such that it does not turn brown. Keep this aside.

4. Boil water in a pan. Put 1 cup of the boiling water in another pan, then turn the flame to medium and add the roasted semolina. As soon as you add the semolina, start stirring so that it does not form lumps. Depending on the dryness of the semolina, you may need to add more of the boiling water. The mixture should thicken, but not be stiff. Once the water is absorbed completely, add a cup of sugar to this mixture.

5. Finally, sprinkle the cardamom powder and the saffron water into the semolina mixture. The saffron water adds an orange color to the dish.

6. For garnish, sprinkle the sauteed cashews and raisins into the dish. The dish is ready to serve.