Kesari

KESARI (special version, served in weddings):

 Kesari is an Indian sweet that is easy to make. It can be served as a snack or with breakfast. It is made of rava /sooji. If you are using cream of wheat ensure it is a fine powder instead of a coarse powder. 

Ingredients: 

Sooji (Cream of Wheat - finely powdered - 1cup

Sugar- 1 cup

Ghee (clarified butter)- ½ cup

Oil -¼ cup

Water- 3 cups

Cardamom- 3 pods(crushed to a powder form)

Cashew- 10 pieces

Raisin-10 pieces

Natural food color (orange/color of choice)- 3 to 5 drops

 

Instructions: 

1. Dry roast the sooji in a fry pan for 2 minutes.  Mix half of the clarified butter and half of the oil  to the sooji and continue frying on medium heat for an additional 2 minutes. The sooji will turn a bit lighter in color. Remove the sooji from the frying pan and set aside.

2. Fry the cashews and raisins in 1 spoon of the clarified butter. Set aside.

3. Place the 3 cups of water in the pan; add 1 teaspoon of clarified butter and 1 teaspoon of oil to the water. Bring this to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling turn the stove down to medium heat. Add the fried sooji to the boiling water little by little. Mix thoroughly by using a whisk to avoid lumps. Add 2 teaspoons of oil and keep whisking until the sooji is fully cooked (~3-5 min.). The mixture would now be thick and have a paste-like consistency. 

4. Add sugar and keep whisking. The Kesari will become a bit watery with the addition of sugar but with continued cooking (3-4 min.) would return back to its cake batter-like consistency.

5. Add the cardamom powder, fried cashews, fried raisins, food color & the remaining clarified butter and incorporate them into the Kesari.

6. Kesari is now ready to serve