Sapaadu the way amma made it

Rava Kesari

A warm, melt-in-the-mouth South Indian sweet — semolina cooked with ghee, sugar, cashews, and cardamom into a glossy, fragrant treat. A festive breakfast or dessert.

Sweets
Rava Kesari
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4

A festive favorite

Rava Kesari is a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth dish — equally at home as a dessert or a special breakfast. It's made with ghee, so if you're watching that, it's a lovely one to reserve for occasions. In our home we mostly make it for breakfast on special days — birthdays, anniversaries, even religious events. There are countless versions online; this is a simpler one.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rava (semolina)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 5 to 10 cashew nuts
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 6 tbsp ghee (you can use less if you prefer)
  • 1/2 tsp kesari (orange food) powder, optional — for color

Method

  1. Fry the rava in a little ghee, adding the cashews, until you can smell the aroma. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same deep pan, add the water and milk and bring to a boil. (You can make it without milk — just use 3 cups of water instead of 2.)
  3. Add the fried rava and cashews back in, along with the kesari powder if using. Cook on a low flame, stirring occasionally.
  4. Once the rava is cooked, add the sugar spoon by spoon, stirring continuously.
  5. Add the ghee spoon by spoon, stirring as you go, then add the cardamom.
  6. When the kesari is done it should stop sticking to the pan — if it's still pasty, add a little more ghee. Once it reaches the right consistency, turn off the heat, let it cool slightly, and enjoy.

Tips

The 'stops sticking to the pan' cue is the most reliable sign it's done — trust it over the clock. Lightly frying the cashews in the first step gives them a nicer crunch in the finished kesari.