Kesari

Kesari is a South Indian sweet made out of semolina or sooji. It is very simple to prepare and very tasty too. You don't have to wait for any festival for making this :)

This recipe is straight out of my mom's kitchen. I must say that I grew up munching this sweet.

Ingredients:

• Rawa/ Sooji/ Semolina - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Water - 1.5 cups
• Cashews, raisins/ kismis fried in ghee/butter
• Crushed cardamoms - 3-4
• Food color - yellow (or even turmeric powder will do)
• Ghee/ Butter

Preparation:

• Take a deep frying pan and start frying semolina/ sooji/ rawa in 2 spoons of ghee/butter. Fry for 4 mins.
• Meanwhile, keep water for boiling. Once boiled, add a pinch of food color.

• Slowly add the boiled water to the fried sooji/ semolina. Let the stove be in low flame throughout.
• Keep stirring well to avoid formation of any lumps.
• Add sugar and stir well. 
• Add a spoon of ghee and stir well.
• Slowly add water and stir well. Do this till you pour all the water into the sooji.

• Add the crsuhed cardamoms, frieds raisins and cashews and stir well.
• After 5 mins of stirring, the sooji-water mix will be thick and now the flame can be turned off. Kesari is ready now.

• Take a plate and spread a spoon of ghee/ butter all over it.

• Transfer kesari to the plate and spread thoroughly.

• Wait for 3-4 mins and then cut the kesari into small pieces. Shape of your choice. Decorate with cashews and raisins and serve.

If you add more ghee at each stage, it will definitely increase the taste. Those who are health conscious can just add less ghee/butter. Enjoy this simple sweet anytime!