Name: Mango Kesari - Mango and Semolina Pudding
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6 -8
Ingredients: 3/4 cup semolina; 1/2 cup ripe mango chunks; 2 tbsp + 1/2 cup ghee; 1 1/2 cups water; 1 1/2 cups organic granulated sugar; 1 tbsp cracked cashew nuts; 1 tbsp golden raisins; 4-5 drops natural food color- yellow/orange; 1 tsp ground cardamom

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Rich and decadent semolina pudding fragrant with cardamom and chunks of ripe mangoes, this Mango Kesari makes for a delicious dessert.

Kesari always has a sweet spot for me. Its one of my favorite things to make and eat. And every time I go to Chennai, I make sure Amma and I head over to Saravana Bhavan for a bowl of steaming hot, sweet smelling and every spoonful dripping with ghee Kesari. To cut down the sweetness I also order some sambar vadai and then some nice hot filter coffee to wash it all down with. Ah, those memories. I am so glad I am still able to visit often enough to recreate those memories.

Rava kesari, also called sheera in some parts of Northern India is a pudding of sorts made with semolina, sugar and ghee and perfumed with cardamom. The crunchy cashews and raisins roasted in ghee is poured over it to finish the dish and they give some much needed texture to it.

I usually only make Rava Kesari or Semiya (vermicelli ) kesari as it is. I have never really added any fruits to it. A friend of mine once made a banana sheera and I have had a pineapple kesari somewhere before. But this mango kesari is something completely new to me and something I tested out. I sent the husband out to get some freshly cut pineapple chunks but he couldn’t find any and I really did not want to deal with a whole pineapple. He did find some mango chunks and that is how this mango kesari got to be made. To be honest, it turned out awesome. I just wish the mangoes I got were a tad bit sweeter, so maybe I will wait for summer to get my hands on some and make this all over again.

If you can get your hands on some super sweet ripe mangoes and can spare some, make this kesari and you will not regret it.

Mango Kesari – The Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup semolina
1/2 cup ripe mango chunks
2 tbsp + 1/2 cup ghee
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups organic granulated sugar
1 tbsp cracked cashew nuts
1 tbsp golden raisins
4-5 drops natural food color- yellow/orange
1 tsp ground cardamom

Method:

Dry roast the semolina over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan, till slightly golden in color and its get a nice aroma about it. Pour it out to a plate to cool it.

Heat the 2 tbsp of ghee in the same pan and add the cashew and raisins to it. Once the cashew browns a little and the raisins puff, strain out the cashews and raisins to a bowl. Bring the pan back to the stove top and add the mango chunks to it. Let it soften down a little in the ghee. This will take a couple of minutes or more, if the mangoes are not ripe and soft enough.

Add the semolina back to the pan with the mangoes and add 1/4 cup ghee ( from the 1/2 cup ghee) and mix well. Add the water slowly while mixing, to incorporate all the semolina into the water without any lumps. Let it cook down. Keep stirring every once in a while. Add the food color and mix it in.

Mix in the sugar and the ground cardamom and let the sugar melt and kesari thicken. Add the remaining ghee and cook while stirring for a couple more minutes. Mix in part of the fried cashews and raisins. Use the remaining cashews and raisins to garnish while serving. Serve hot/warm.