1/2 cup dry fruits (chopped dates, raisins, cranberries and other nuts),
1/2 cup rava,
3 tbsp sugar,
2 tsp ghee,
1 pinch cardamom powder,
6 almonds,
1 cup water, and
3-4 drops food color optional (yellow, orange or red).
Method:
- Stir-fry rava with 1 tsp ghee on low flame till the smell of raw grain goes.
- Set it aside for later use.
- Saute dry fruits for 5-10 seconds in a pan with 1 tbsp ghee on low flame.
- Add water, sugar, cardamom powder and food color to them and increase heat to high flame.
- Add roasted rava to boiling water slowly and smoothen out any lumps and mix well.
- Reduce heat and keep stirring continuously till the mixture is cooked. One can know that the mixture is cooked when it starts coming off the pan easily.
- Grease a plate and pour 'kesari' into it.
- Let it cool and get set.
- Cut it into smaller pieces and garnish it with an almond.
- Kesari is now ready to be served.