Rava Kesari
Restaurant Style Rava Kesari is a EASY to make popular sweet dish which uses less ingredients and can be made in one pot. Rava Kesari is also called as Sooji / Suji Halwa or Semolina Halwa.

Appealing Sweet for Kids And Its Aj's Favorite Too

When ever I need to make a sweet dish real quick then I end up making Rava Kesari most of the time. Just because all ingredients are basic which we have them on stock in our pantry most of the time.  I use to eat them in South Indian temples and marriages back home . With that rich color , hot and nei vadiya ( Oozing ghee) it would be yum yum. Every time I eat them in temple, I ask my mom to make it again when I come back home. I guess I ate more during my first pregnancy too and that why AJ likes it so much . When ever I make prasad (offerings) for god on special occasions, he always asks did you make kesari? If you had not tried making it yet give it a shot. There is another version in kesari called Pineapple Rava Kesari which is made with chunks of pineapple and pineapple juice which taste heavenly. I will soon post the recipe for that.

TIPS

*If you want to just Copy Cat the restaurant style recipe in Texture, Color and Sweetness follow the given recipe blindly. *Texture of this dish is completely based on the Rava / Sooji quality. Buy Sooji / Rava Coarse only (Do not buy fine variety). *Usually water I use 1:2 ratio (1cup rava and 2 cup water ) for this recipe, so when you double the quantity of the recipe then Double all the ingredients too  . *I added 2 and 1/2 cup of sugar because our family likes it little sweeter. You could reduce sugar to 2 cups if you need it less sweeter. *I would recommend using given quantity of ghee and sugar for the texture and that exact restaurant style taste .
Servings: 6 yield(s)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Rava/ Sooji/ Semolina (Coarse variety )
  • 2 and 1/2 cup Sugar (Granulated White sugar)
  • 4 tbsp Ghee/Clarified butter
  • 2 cup Water (Boiling water)
  • 2 pinch Orange / Kesari food color powder or drops (Optional )
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom / Elachi Powder
  • 1 tbsp Broken Cashew nuts and Golden raisins (Slightly Fry them in a tsp of ghee)
Instructions
  1. Boil the 2 cups of water in a bowl and keep it ready. Also fry golden raisins and cashews in a tsp of ghee and set aside.
  2. Take a pan wide pan and add 2 Tbsp ghee ,Once the ghee melts add rava /sooji and saute the rava/ sooji in low flame only for a minute or until you get nice aroma from sooji.
  3. Now add the boiling water from step 1 to the roasted rava/ sooji . make sure the flame is still low. carefully stir the mixture well, making sure rava doesn't forms lumps. Close the lid of the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. After 5 minutes open the lid and add food coloring if using , followed by 2 and 1/2 cups of sugar and stir. You can see the mixture loosens after adding sugar, so close the pan with lid and keep it covered for a minute or two or until the consistency thickens.
  5. Finally open the lid and add cardamom/ elachi powder and fried cashew nut, golden raisins and remaining 2 Tblspn of ghee. Mix well and serve
Recipe Notes

*If you want to just Copy Cat the restaurant style recipe in Texture, Color and Sweetness follow the given recipe blindly. *Texture of this dish is completely based on the Rava / Sooji quality. Buy Sooji / Rava Coarse only (Do not buy fine variety). *Usually water I use 1:2 ratio for this recipe (1cup rava and 2 cup water ), so when you double the quantity of the recipe then Double all the ingredients too  . *I add 2 and 1/2 cup of sugar because our family likes it little sweeter. You could reduce sugar to 2 cups if you need it less sweeter. *I would recommend using given quantity of ghee and sugar for the texture and that exact restaurant style taste .