Sooji Kesari

/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 20-12-2023 */&lt;br /><br>.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=".svg"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}Rava/ Sooji is an ingredient which cooks in just 10 minutes. And might be present in all Indian kitchens so as to help in making instant recipes like rava idli, rava upma/ khichdi, rava dosa, rava kanji/ kheer or rava kesari.  Lets start inventing this ingredient with a beginner friendly sooji kesari. 

Sooji Kesari

Rava Kesari/ Sooji Kesari is one of the most famous sweets all over India because it is very easy to make and we will get a sweet for sure without being a cooking expert.  Kesari leads the list when one thinks to go to kitchen for the first time and want to cook for their loved ones.

The word Kesari comes from Kesar - Saffron, because in old days they use saffron to get the rich color of this sweet.  But now a days we alternatively use orange or yellow food color.

Ingredients:

1. Rava/Sooji - 1/4 cup
2. Water - 3/4 cups (for a smooth consistency)
3. Sugar - 1/2 cups  (3/4 cups if you want more sweetness)
4. Ghee - 1/8 to 1/4 cup approx.
5. Cashews - few
6. Grated Badams, cucumber seeds (optional)
7. Elaichi powder - a pinch
8. Saffron or Food Color - a pinch

How to make Sooji Kesari?

Add 1/4 cup of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Roast cashew nuts to light goldern. Then add sooji and fry till you get a nice aroma.  By roasting rava in a generous amount of ghee we will get Kesari in a nice consistency.

Simultaneously, boil 3 cups of water separately. Add 2 pinches of salt and 2 to 3 pinches of saffron (or food color) to the sooji and mix well. Now, put the flame to low and add boiling water to sooji little by little.

Mix it with a whisk until there are no lumps. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3 minutes.

Check whether rava/sooji is cooked well if not cook for 2 more minutes.  Since we have roasted the rava it will surly be cooked in just 4 to 5 minutes. Now add sugar and Elaichi powder to the cooked sooji. Mix well with a whisk until there are no lumps.  As the sugar melts, lumps will form.

But don't worry. If we mix with a whisk, all lumps will disappear. The consistency of kesari will become watery.

Add ghee if you wish.  Cook till the kesari comes to the right consistency. Consistency of the kesari will be a little thicker when it cools down. So, remove from flame when it is slightly loose.

Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy your easy Kesari with more roasted cashews.

Tips

1. Roast Rava/Sooji in medium to low flame otherwise it will get burnt and the kesari will look like that we had seasoned with mustard seeds.
2. Dry roast rava without ghee will not give a nice consistency.
3. Pouring boiling water into the roasting pan itself while roasting will give a paste like consistency so add roasted rava into the boiling water not the reverse.
4. When adding sugar lumps will form. Don't worry. Mixing with a whisk will resolve the problem easily.
5. Since after turning off the stove and gets cool, the consistency of kesari changes a little thick so take the pan out of flame a minute before.
6. After all, practice makes one perfect. Kesari is not an exception. So follow the steps carefully without omitting a single tip surely you will become a Kesari Queen soon.

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