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    Home / Dessert / Rava Kesari

    Rava Kesari

    A sunshine-yellow semolina sweet perfumed with saffron and cardamom, rich with ghee and studded with cashews — pure celebration.

    ⏱ 5 minPrep time
    🔥 20 minCook time
    🍽 6Servings
    🏷 DessertCategory
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    Rava Kesari - saffron semolina sweet with cashews

    Rava kesari is the bright yellow semolina pudding that marks festivals and good news in South Indian homes. It is one of the easiest traditional sweets to make, and one of the most loved — a spoonful of joy offered first to the gods and then to everyone else. It needs just a handful of pantry staples and a little patience, and it is ready in under half an hour.

    Golden, ghee-laced, and festive

    The semolina cooks into a soft, glossy pudding with a gentle crunch of toasted cashews and a heady scent of saffron and cardamom. Ghee gives it a rich, buttery finish that makes it dangerously easy to eat by the spoonful, straight from the pan. Served warm, it is the color and taste of celebration, and it turns any ordinary day into a small festival. Press the same mixture into a greased pan and let it set, and you have firm kesari squares that pack beautifully for gifts.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. 1. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a heavy pan and toast the cashews until golden. Remove and set aside.
    2. 2. In the same pan, toast the rava in the remaining ghee over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
    3. 3. Bring the water to a boil and add it to the rava carefully, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
    4. 4. Cook, stirring, until the rava absorbs the water and thickens, about 5 minutes.
    5. 5. Stir in the sugar, saffron milk, cardamom, and a pinch of food color, if using. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until glossy and pulling away from the pan.
    6. 6. Fold in the cashews and serve warm.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Toast the rava in ghee until fragrant — it should smell nutty, not burnt. For a firmer kesari, add a few extra minutes of cooking so it pulls away from the pan.

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    Recipe details

    Prep5 min
    Cook20 min
    Servings6
    CategoryDessert
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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