Kesari/ Dessert with Semolina

Kesari is one of the simple and common desserts in Tamil Nadu. I remember my mum and granny making this dish quickly when we had unexpected guests at home. We, as kids would fight for the nuts and raisins in the kesari and would snack on most of them as soon as they were fried in ghee. Thus making my mum to roast them again. Nostalgic right! Lets go to the recipe.

  Ingredients
Semolina - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Ghee - 4 Tablespoons
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Food colour - Few drops (yellow or orange)
Mixed nuts & Raisins - 1/2 cup (cashewnut, almonds, pecans)


Method
1. Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and roast the nuts and raisins until they become golden brown and the raisins puff up. Strain them from the ghee and keep aside.
2. Use the same pan with the left over ghee to roast the semolina until become golden yellow in a medium heat. Transfer the roasted semolina to a plate. 
 3. Now heat the water in the pan and once the water boils add the semolina spoon by spoon and keep stirring to avoid the formation of lumps. It will thicken in matter of seconds, so must be very careful while mixing.
4. Add milk and stir the contents. Once it thickens add the sugar, food colour, cardamom powder, ghee and the roasted nuts and mix everything evenly.
       Kesari is ready!


Note
* Should be very careful while adding semolina to the water because it forms lumps very quickly, so keep stirring non-stop.
* If you feel that the kesari is very thick,  you can add milk.
* Sugar can be adjusted according to your taste. 
* Instead of food colour, saffron boiled in milk can also be used.