Rava Kesari (Kesari Halwa)
Rava Kesari (Kesari Halwa) is a popular South Indian sweet dish which is a different version of Sooji ka Halwa. Rava Kesari is delicious and easy to make, usually made on festive occasions. This is a quick fix sweet especially if you have unexpected guests.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine sooji semolina
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 Tbsp ghee clarified butter
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 8 drops yellow food color
- Pinch of saffron kesar
- 1/8 tsp cardamom crushed, ilachi
- 3-1/3 cups water
- 1 Tbsp sliced pistachios pista for garnishing
Instructions
- Boil the water with sugar, and cardamom powder in a pot over medium heat. Bring the syrup to boil, mix it making sure sugar is dissolve add the food color and mix. Set aside
- Melt 1 tablespoon of ghee in a frying pan on low medium heat. Add the sooji, and almonds and roast stirring continuously, sooji should be light golden brown in color and will have a light sweet aroma. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the syrup slowly, as you add the syrup to sooji water will splatter. Make sure there are no lumps. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add more water if halwa becomes very thick.
- Add the remaining ghee 1 tablespoon at a time and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously. Rava Kesari will start leaving the sides of frying pan. Rava Kesari will have a texture of thick batter.
- Garnish the Rava Kesari with sliced pistachios, serve warm or at room temperature.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I made this dish using polenta flour (polenta bramata, I used 170 gr, also I added milk instead of water, butter instead of ghee, used only almonds and no cardamom because my sister hates it). It was good. It really is a sort of sweet polenta? Next time I want to add some soaked raisins and maybe a bit of lemon rind.
Also if you use polenta you don’t need yellow food color because it’s already yellow.
It’s my Favourite
Do we need to stir continuously or can we leave it on low flame?
Aditya, almost continuously
Hi Can I exchange polenta for semolina in these recipes to make a gluten free variant? Love the recipes Manjula!!
Jody, polenta will be good substitute for semolina for this recipe
It seems your video is different than your written receipe
Meera, please tell me where I go wrong
Very nice and easy sweet preperation.
Thanks
Instead of water for Halwa, try milk it is yummy.
Coomar, good suggestion
Wow nice dessert recipe and prepared in just 20 minutes.