Rava Kesari

Rava Kesari is a sweet which I learned to make after marriage. When I was a kid, I used to get confused between Rava Kesari and Ksheera. Though I like Ksheera more than Rava Kesari, I find that this is easy to prepare for my husband who has a sweet tooth ;-) So here is the recipe which I found quite simple, yet sweet.

Ingredients
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Semolina or Rava: 2 cups
Milk: 3 cups
Sugar: 2 cups
Ghee : 2 tablespoons
Saffron(optional): 4-5 strands
Cashewnut: 3 or 4 nos

Method:
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1. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee, and add rava to it. Turn the flame to
medium and stir rava until the rava completly mixes with the ghee. Be careful to
avoid burning of rava (the rava turns dark brown when it burns). Wait until
the rava turns golden brown. Remove the pan from fire and let it cool down.

2. In another vessel, start boiling milk. When milk starts boiling, add the rava from
the pan and broken cashewnuts and saffron and keep stiring until it is partially
cooked. Then add sugar and continue stirring until the mixture starts
to solidify. Its like making uppumavu (in malayalam) or uppittu (in kannada),
with respect to the consistency of the dish.

3. When the expected consistency is attained, turn off the flame and transfer the
contents to a flat plate with edges. With a spoon, even the surface of the rava
kesari. Allow it to cool and cut into desired shapes.