Kesari Recipe | Rava Kesari Recipe

Rava Kesari is a melt in mouth sweet made by cooking with rava, ghee and sugar along with flavorings like saffron, cardamom, garnished with nuts and dry fruits. Rava Kesari is a popular sweet made anytime to make the moment special. Rava Kesari Recipe is explained with step by step pictures and video.

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Rava Kesari is one of my favorites. I really don’t know why I kept delaying to post such a easy basic sweet recipe. Amma makes the best rava kesari and it is my favorite. I have seen her make kesari several times and now my kids love it too.

What is Rava Kesari?

Rava Kesari is a traditional sweet that is often served as part of a festive meal or as a dessert on special occasions. Rava Kesari is made by first roasting rava or sooji in ghee then cooking it in hot water then adding sugar and flavourings.

Rava Kesari – Rava is sooji and Kesari comes from kesar which is saffron. So Rava Kesari translates to semolina pudding flavored with saffron. Rava is called sooji in hindi and semolina in english.

Kesari is quite a simple easy and quick sweet even beginners can try. Rava Kesari is a great treat that’s loved by people of all ages, and it’s a great way to end any meal on a sweet note. Enjoy!

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy to remember measure 1/2 ghee, 1 sooji, 2 sugar, 3 water ratio
• Works perfectly every time!
• Does not turn cakey and keeps soft and goey even after hours.

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Kesari Video

Variations

Rava Kesari Ratio

I use a 1/2,1,2,3 ratio : 1/2 cup ghee for 1 cup rava, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups water. I have halved this recipe and posted it here, this measure works perfectly everytime. If you want a more goey kesari you can add 31/4 to 3 and 1/2 cups water. Adding little oil helps to make the kesari soft which I learnt from my friend.

Rava Kesari has many variations:

• Milk Kesari
• Mango Kesari
• Pineapple Kesari

Rava Kesari Ingredients

• Rava – I have used upma rava (hard wheat / semolina) for this recipe. This will be slightly coarse not very fine. Make sure to slow roast rava into slight golden brown color.
• Ghee – Ghee is one the main ingredients for rava kesari so use pure good quality ghee. Homemade ghee is best however you can use storebought ghee also.
• Sugar – White sugar is used for rava kesari. I would not suggest to replace it.
• Flavorings – Cardamom and saffron are the main flavoring here.
• Garnishing – Cashews and raisins are added for garnish.

How to make Rava Kesari Step by Step

1.Add 1/4 cup ghee and heat it. First add around 15 cashews and fry until golden.

2.Once golden then add around 10 raisins.

3.Raisins start to bulge. Fry until golden brown.

3.Remove to a bowl and set aside.

4.Add 1/2 cup rava in a sprinkled manner.

5.Roast until it is toastey atleast for 3-5 mins in low flame. Keep stirring to take care not to burn.

6.Heat 1 and 1/2 cups water along with 1/8 teaspoon salt,a pinch food color and 5 strands saffron. Use good quality natural food color. Boil until it bubbles up rigorously.

7.Add it to roasted rava.

8.Keep stirring in medium flame.

9.Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Becomes porridge like in consistency.

10.Cook covered in low flame for 5-7 mins.

11.Give a quick stir in between to avoid sticking and burning at the bottom.

12.Stir in between then again cook covered.

13.After 6 mins rava is fully cooked as you can see. Give a quick stir.

14.Add 1 cup sugar.

15.Stir well to avoid lumps. It may look like forming lumps but mash it well to break the lumps. It will easily dissolve if you keep stirring.

16.The mixture will loosen up after adding sugar and becomes watery like this.

17.Keep stirring until it starts to thicken.

18.Cook partially covered for 2 mins.

19.Give a quick stir cook until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. Should be still flowing in consistency as shown here only then it will be perfect even after resting time.

20.Add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, fried cashews, raisins along with 2 tablespoon refined oil(optional). Oil helps to make kesari soft and also not to harden after few hours. It will still be soft not forming cake like texture even after few hours.

21.Give a quick mix and switch off.

22.Kesari is ready!

23. This is after 30 mins still soft and goey.

24.Soft delicious rava kesari is ready!

Rava Kesari is ready!

Expert Tips

• Taste : Don’t compromise on ghee as its the main ingredient in this recipe which makes it tasty. I added the ghee fully, you can reserve a tablespoon and add it in the final stage while switching off.
• Sweetness : You can add 1.5 cups of sugar for 1 cup rava but sweetness will be mild and also the texture varies it becomes thick quickly.
• Texture : Adding oil is purely optional but gives kesari a soft texture and retains it even after hours.
• Flavoring : I always love cardamom flavor the best in kesari and a tint of kesar flavor too. You can also add your favorite essence too pineapple essence goes well for kesari.
• Make sure you add sugar only after rava is cooked fully else it will affect the kesari taste and texture.
• If you are a beginner, just do the whole process in low flame. Even if it forms lumps, dont worry just break it up by mashing it will vanish as it cooks.
• Always use a thick bottomed kadai to make kesari. You can even use a nonstick pan to make it.

Serving & Storage Suggestion

You can keep refrigerated for 1 or 2 days and while serving just heat it up , drizzle ghee give a quick stir and serve. You can skip milk and add more ghee if you want to increase shelf life.

FAQS

1.Why is it called Kesari?

The word kesari comes from the kesar flavoring used here which is a spice called saffron. It gives it a nice yellowish tint to kesari and a great flavor too.

2.Can I skip food color?

Yes you can skip food color and use just saffron which gives kesari a light yellow color. Or you can use natural food color which is made from fruits / flowers as I have did.

3.My kesari becomes lumpy. Why?

Always make sure to keep stirring while adding water and also while adding sugar. These are the main 2 steps where the kesari can become lumpy. Keep mashing the lumps forming in medium flame and the lumps will vanish as it cooks.

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