Navratri Special ~ Rava Kesari – Semolina Pudding

Rava Kesari – moist, melt in the mouth Indian semolina dessert that is prepared as a festival special for occasions like Navratri. Not too complicated, just a few ingredients like semolina, clarified butter, sugar and cardamom mingle together to bring out something magical and exotic.

The key to a delicious Kesari is to slow roast semolina in ghee aka clarified butter till light pink without burning it. And when infused with a warming aromatic spice like cardamom the flavor of Rava Kesari is alleviated by leaps and bounds. Delightful when adorned with roasted cashews and raisins.

1 Heat a heavy-bottomed vessel, add 2 tbsps of melted ghee, add cashew nuts and raisins and toast them till golden brown. Remove them and keep aside.
2 In the same ghee, add sooji/semolina and fry till light pink approx for 6 mts. You have to constantly stir it or else it will burn. Turn off heat, add sugar and mix.
3 Add water and cook on slow flame stirring constantly. It will come together like a thick pudding. It will take approx 8-10 mts to cook on slow flame.
4 Add saffron and half of the roasted nuts and raisins and mix. Cook on low flame for another mt. Add 2 tbsps of warm ghee and mix. Turn off flame, remove onto a serving bowl.
5 Garnish with the remaining nuts and raisins and serve warm.

P.S With power cuts abound in Andhra Pradesh and erratic internet connection, I could not blog yesterday’s offering to Goddess Durga.