Kesari bhath recipe | rava kesari recipe -

Kesari bhath recipe | rava kesari recipe – a fragrant dessert prepared with semolina (rava), ghee, saffron strands and dry fruits. This recipe is very common in Karnataka and derived its name from its colour, where kesari means orange colour.

Ugadi, new year day, is celebrated with great pomp in Karnataka, Andra Pradesh and in Maharashtra and Goa as Gudi padwa. Ugadi, derived from the sanskrit word yuga which means age and adi means beginning. In Mangalore and Udupi region tuluva’s celebrate new year as bisu, usually in second week of april.

Preparation for the festival starts with cleaning the house, buying new clothes with lot of excitement . On the day of Ugadi, after head bath house is decorated with mango leaves thorans and colour full rangoli. Lord is decorated with fresh flowers and naivedyam is offered, poojas are performed to seek his blessings at the begining of the year.

I prepared this kesari bhath recipe this time on ugadi for naivedyam. This recipe is a popular dish during festivals. This kesari bhath is eaten together with spicier upma called kara bhath and this combination is a popular breakfast in Karnataka as chow-chow bhath.

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Kesari bhath recipe | rava kesari recipe

Serves : 4 people
Preparation time : 5 mins
Cook time:25 mins
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Ingredients
1 cup semolina / bombay rava
1/2 cup ghee
1 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup cashew nut
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp warm milk
2 pinch saffron strands
2-3 cardamom, husked and powdered
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Step by step method
1. Soak about 2 pinch of saffron strands in 1 tbsp of warm milk and keep it aside.
2. Take half of the 1/2 cup of ghee in a wide wok / kadai and heat it in medium flame.
3. Once oil is hot fry raisins. Remove it as they puff.
4. In same oil fry cashew nuts.
5. Remove them as they turn golden brown and keep them aside.
6. In the same ghee, roast rava / semolina till they turn fragrant.
7. I did this for about 10 mins. Adjust the flame from low to medium. Once done, remove from heat and keep it aside.
8. Boil 2 cups of water in wide wok / kadai. As water comes to boil add saffron solution.
9. Now add roasted rava.

10. Keep on folding the mixture till rava absorbs all the water.
11. Add sugar and mix.
12. Add the remaining ghee and mix it.
13. Add fried dry fruits and cardamom powder and mix it. Serve it hot or cold, as you like it.