Kesari bhath / Rava Kesari

Happy Ugadi!!  Ugadi, also know as Yugadi is celebrated as the new year in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While it is called Ugadi in A.P. and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as Gudi padwa. Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon's orbit. Bevu Bella, or Ugadi Neem leaf Pachadi, is an indispensable offering on Ugadi. This unique Bevu or Neem leaf preparation symbolically represents the different facets of life – sweet and bitter experiences of life. Bevu Bella is just a simple mixture of fresh neem leaves and unprocessed broken jaggery. It is eaten on an empty stomach on Ugadi.

Some of the sweets made to celebrate Ugadi are Holige / Bobbatlu / Puran Poli (sweet stuffed rotis), Khus- Khus Payasam, Mango Shrikhand, etc. I just decided to make another delicacy of Karnataka, “Kesari Bhath”. It is a recipe that's great for beginners. Be it a dessert or an evening snack, this one is simply perfect and easy!! Let’s get started…

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 5-6

You need:

1 cup chiroti rava (sooji/semolina)

1 cup sugar

2cups water

3tbsp ghee

1 pinch of yellow colour

5-6 strands of kesar or saffron

15-20 cashew nuts

8-10 raisins

3-4 cardamoms

Step-by-step:

Remove the skin and powder the cardamoms (if you have the practice of boiling your drinking water, add the cardamom skin to it/ add it while making tea, gives a good flavour)

Fry cashew nuts and raisins in ghee till light brown and keep aside

In the same pan, add little more ghee and fry rava until there is a slight change in the color (it’ll also smell different)

 Boil 2 cups of water in a vessel. When it begins to boil, add kesar, yellow colour and sugar

Add the rava little by little to avoid lumps (be a little slow and careful here)

Sprinkle cardamom powder (hmmm! Love the smell?)

Simmer and cover with lid so that rava cooks well. 

Top it with the remaining ghee (sinful…but you don’t make it everyday!)

Garnish with raisins and cashew nuts.

This dish can be served hot/ at room temperature or chilled…

Sending this recipe to “food for little champs" hosted by Indu get cooking (Indu Mathew)

Yours tastefully wishes all of you a very Happy Ugadi!!
Yours Tastefully!