Name: Rava Kesari Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: Rava or Sooji - 1 cup; Sugar - 2 cups; Ghee - 1/2 cup; Cashew nuts - 10 (broken); Cardamom powder - 1 tsp; Water - 3 cups; Kesari food color – 1/8 tsp

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Rava Kesari recipe for beginners with step by step photos using Autolysis method. In this pressure cooker method, you make a fool proof rava kesari with the stove switched off and absolutely zero supervision requiring no stirring.

I loved this method for its simplicity that even my 15 year old son has been making rava kesari for the past year without a hitch and without me having to worry about his safety in the kitchen while cooking.

Rava Kesari (Sooji Kesari) is made during festival seasons like diwali, navratri pooja, or for any special occasions at home. Though it is very easy to make, care is needed to get the right consistency.

Rava Kesari is one sweet that I struggled to master during my initial days of cooking. I love a good kesari that spreads by itself, when we place it on a plate and that has a grainy texture but every time when I tried, it would either come out in a sticky mass or it will be have small lumpy balls in it.

But under the guidance of my MIL, with her tips and tricks, I started making a good rava kesari and rava upma too with the consistency that I loved. It is one sweet that everyone makes in a jiffy whenever an unexpected guest stops by at home. Follow this method, spend more time with them instead of slaving over a hot stove in the kitchen.

This method is especially useful for beginners and working ladies. If you are making rava kesari for neivedhyam especially during Navratri, you can mix it up in the morning and in the evening when you come home it will be ready waiting for you.

Thanks to Mr.Ramakrishnan and Mrs.Chitra Viswanathan for this fail proof and fool proof recipe and for standardizing it as well.

Points to note before making Rava Kesari:

1. Take time to roast rava over low flame taking care not to change its color. Only this step will take your time of 4 to 5 mins depending on the quantity of the rava.

2. The sugar solution needs to be steaming hot. There is no need for any type of string consistency. The sugar needs to get completely dissolved, that’s all.

3. Do not pour sugar solution to incompletely roasted rava, if you do so, the kesari will become a sticky mass.

4. You can very easily halve, double or triple the recipe and still follow the same method.

How to make Rava Kesari recipe with step by step photos:

1. In a pressure cooker, add ghee and let it melt. Add broken cashew nuts.

2. Add rava and mix well.

3. Roast over low flame till the aroma arises. This should take 4 to 5 mins.

4. Meanwhile in another stove, mix together water and sugar in a sauce pan. Cook till the sugar dissolves completely. No need for string consistency.

5. Add food color and cardamom to the roasting rava. Pour the steaming hot sugar solution over the rava and mix once.

6. Immediately close with lid and place the weight in the vent valve. Switch off the stove. Leave the cooker undisturbed for at least 20 mins.

7. After 20 mins, open lid and mix well. Rava Kesari is ready. Serve hot or warm.

When I went to my sil’s place I shared this method with her and she did not want to bring out her jumbo 10 liter cooker to make just 1 cup kesari.

So after mixing the sugar solution to the roasted rava, I transferred the entire content into a hot pack (hot case) and waited for the same time and it worked out fine too.

You can check out the other variations like Pineapple rava kesari, mango kesari and you can also use this rava kesari and make Sojji Appam as well.

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Rava Kesari recipe details below: