Rava Kesari | Ananda Bhavan Rava Kesari Recipe | Sooji Halwa | Indian Sweet Recipe

Rava Kesari is one famous and quick to do South Indian sweet. There are so many versions of kesari online and I am sure each one of us have a method to make this sweet. But of all recipes and versions I have always been this big fan of Adyar Ananda Bhavan Kesari, if you live in South India I recommend you to visit this restaurant and order a plate of kesari, you are sure to fall in love with it. Let me be clear this is no promotional post for Ananda Bhavan or did I get their secret recipe. After many attempts at making this kesari, I did have a good taste of this kesari this morning for breakfast when we went to a close by Ananda Bhavan and with every bite behind my mind I was trying to understand how the recipe is made what ingredients are there and how it gets its taste, on the other hand I had my husband simply enjoying the melt in mouth kesari ;-) long story short I came home and tried this sweet this evening and it turned out an almost close version to the kesari served in A2B. To know if this recipe is a killer you got to try it to know it :P Do we need excuse to make sweets? No right? 

I must admit that this kesari version uses 4 tbsp ghee than the usual home version you gotto remember that this is sure a special sweet so reserve it for those sweet moments and occasions. The trademark taste of A2B kesari is mild sweetness, melt in mouth texture, mild yellow tint and topped with nuts, raisins. Also when you taste this kesari you will not find a trace of cardamom/ elaichi as A2B does not use this ingredient in their kesari. The rava pearls are cooked soft, melt in mouth texture and each spoonful is a sure heavenly bliss. 

ANANDA BHAVAN RAVA KESARI RECIPE

Recipe Source - Own

Serves - 4 generously

Cook & Prep time - 20 mins

Ingredients (please read notes below before doing the recipe)

Rava/ Sooji white variety- 1 cup

Ghee - 4 tbsp ( use a good quality & fragrant Indian Ghee)

Cashew - 8, chopped

Raisins - 10

Boiling water - 2 cups

Sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Yellow food colour - a pinch (do not add more than this)

Kesar essence - 2 drops (do not add more than this)

Method

(Step by Step pictures of making Kesari)

• In a wide non stick pan heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the chopped nuts until golden, drain excess oil and keep in a plate, next fry the raisins wait until they puff, drain excess oil and set aside
• In a pan boil water in the mean time roast the rava, make sure the water is nice and hot, ready to be used once rava is roasted
• Add 2 tbsp of ghee to the pan and fry the rava/sooji in medium-low flame for 5-7 minutes until the rava is bit golden and changes colour yet fragrant, stirring frequently (Take care not to burn / brown the rava)
• Slowly add the boiling water to the roasted rava and stir frequently to avoid lumps, mix well, add food colour and flavouring now (if using) and let it cook, you can use a lid to cover the pan. This would take 3-4 minutes to get cooked.
• Now add sugar to the rava and toss continuously until the sugar melts and mixes well with the cooked rava, make sure that the rava is fully cooked before adding the sugar.
• Add ghee and mix well, garnish with the fried nuts and raisins

Serve warm and enjoy

Cooks Wisdom

- Be liberal in using ghee, frying rava with ghee really gives the taste and fragrance to this kesari

- use only a pinch of yellow food color and 2 drops of kesar essence, it gives a mild color and fragrance to the kesari

- Make sure you roast the rava in medium- low flame and keep stirring continuously to avoid the rava from getting burnt

- Adding boiling water to the rava results in evenly cooked rava, avoids lumps 

- Use a good quality and fragrant ghee for ultimate tasting kesari, this recipe purely depends on ghee for its flavor

- Since I have not used milk the shelf life will be for 2 days you can store excess in refrigerator and later reheat and serve hot/ cold