Rava Kesari | Sooji Halwa | Semolina Halwa

Sweet of semolina cooked in ghee and sugar

And come here begins a new year with aspirations, expectations and of course resolutions !!! As like every other time, I had no intentions of taking resolutions as I know there wouldn't be justice served ;) Then suddenly a thought struck me today morn... Why not challenge myself into taking one or two resolutions that I would love to keep up?? So here is the result, a half year long wish to start a blog. And what better way to start a cookbook blog other than with a sweet. So here I begin with my all time favorite 'Kesari' - supple, ready to melt in mouth and easy to make sweet. Wishing you all a Happy New Year :) :)

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took : 30 minutes

Serves: 30-35 pieces

I Used :

Rava/Semolina	-	1 cup
Sugar	-	1 ½ cup
Water	-	2 ½ cups
Ghee	-	8 tbsp
Cashew nuts	-	6-8 no
Cardamom	-	2-3 no
Food Colour	-	2 pinch

The Way :

1. Powder sugar along with cardamom in a mixer. Sieve off the pods of cardamom from the powdered sugar & keep aside
2. Mix the food colour in 2 tbsp water and keep aside
3. Heat ghee in a flat bottomed vessel or pan. Fry the cashews in it till golden brown and keep aside
4. In the same ghee fry the semolina in a medium flame until it turns light golden brown in colour. Keep it aside
5. Add water to the pan. When it starts to boil add the roasted semolina, the food colour and reduce the flame . Stir continuously to make sure that no lumps are formed. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the semolina is cooked well
6. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Adding sugar will make the mixture  a little moist. So stir well & continuously, leaving no lumps
7. Keep stirring until it becomes a mass & starts to leave the sides of the vessel. Add the roasted nuts, give a quick stir & switch off
8. Transfer to a ghee greased bowl or container of the desired shape. Cut into square or diamond shapes before serving

Notes :

• Always take care to add sugar only after the semolina is cooked well, else it can compromise the taste & texture of the kesari
• This semolina-sugar ratio is of good sweetness. Adjust sugar according to your preference
• Do not compromise on ghee as it is what makes the dish special. Feel free to add more if you prefer !
• Adding milk instead of water gives a more rich flavour and aroma. In that case, increase the quantity of food colour for a darker look
• Common food colours used are saffron and yellow !!
• Kesari can be refrigerated & relished for 1 or 2 days. Then heat it for a minute or two in microwave before serving 
• Addition of milk decreases shelf life
• You can also add essence to the kesari, pineapple being the most commonly used one

Cheers,
Chitz

*Updated with new pics on 07/09/2013