Daily Recco, February 16: Rava kesari to usher in the spring on Basant Panchami

The spring has been heralded with the festival of Basant (or Vasant) Panchami being observed across the country today. The festival is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and is dominated by the colours of spring — shades of yellow, mustard and ochre. The sweet that is especially prepared for the festival is saffron rava kesari.

This quick and very easy to make dessert is a real delight prepared with semolina, sugar and ghee — a must-try and must-have today.

What you’ll need:

Half a cup of semolina (known colloquially as rava or sooji)

Two tablespoons of saffron water (a few strands of saffron soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water for 15 minutes)

A quarter cup of ghee

Three-fourths cup of sugar

One cup of water

Two tablespoons of ghee, a tablespoon of cashews (about 5-7 cashews that have been halved), one tablespoon of raisin and a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder for the garnish

How to make:

In a kadhai, heat two tablespoons and fry the cashews and raisins on low flame. Once the cashews turn golden brown, remove from fire and keep aside.

In the same kadhai, roast the semolina in the leftover ghee for five minutes, till it exudes a distinct aroma. Remove from fire, spread it on a plate and keep aside.

In the same kadhai, boil the water and add the roasted semolina, stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. Keep the flame low throughout.

Next, add the sugar and stir well till it completely dissolves. Then add the saffron water and the remaining quarter cup of ghee. Remember to stir continuously till the mixture is well combined.

Cover and let it simmer for another two minutes for the semolina to cook completely.

Now add the roasted cashews, raisins and the cardamom powder and mix well till the ghee separates. Remove from fire.

You can additionally garnish it with pieces of pineapple and tutti frutti. 

Serve the kesari warm.

Also read: This Basant Panchami, nourish yourself with healthy portion of yellow foods