Milk Kesari Recipe (Paal Kesari)
Milk kesari / semolina pudding is a delicious south Indian dessert made with ghee, milk, semolina, and sugar. In regular rava kesari water is added mainly. To add more richness and a twist to the regular kesari, milk is used to cook the semolina. Have you tasted amirtham (like divine god food)?. The very first time I tasted this dish was at Adyar ananda bhavan, a south Indian restaurant. This dessert is a wonder.Milk kesari is an Indian semolina pudding made using sooji, milk, sugar, ghee, dried fruits and nuts. It is a richer version of rava kesari and much more delicious.
Equipment
Cooking pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup Sooji | Rava
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Milk
- ½ cup Ghee
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Saffron
- ½ cup Nuts & Dried Fruits Almonds, Cashews & Sultanas
Instructions
- In a teaspoon of ghee fry the nuts and dried fruits till golden. Set aside.
- Take a non stick kadai and heat a teaspoon of ghee. Add in sooji and fry for a couple of mins. Now add in milk and mix well stirring constantly so lumps are formed.
- Once everything is mixed well. Cover the pan and cook on a very low flame for 10 mins till all milk is absorbed and the sooji is cooked.
- Now add in sugar and mix well. The mixture will turn runny again. Now keep stirring so nothing sticks to the pan. Add in cardamom and saffron. Mix well.
- Now add in half of the ghee and stir constantly. Once it is absorbed, add in the food colouring and mix well. Add the remaining ghee and mix well. Add the fried nuts also.
- Once the mixtures leaves the sides of the pan and come together as a mass.
- Now pour this in a greased plate and allow it to set for 15 mins, or you can serve by scooping it into individual bowls.
- Once the kesari is set, cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- While adding milk stir continously so no lumps are formed. If you are nervous about this, you can boil the milk separately and pour that in while mixing. This will avoid formation of lumps. Avoid lumps while cooking the semolina / rava.
- The amount of ghee depends on your taste. Adding ½ cup of ghee will give good taste and texture. You can reduce it as you like.
- Roasting rava is important, Even though you buy roasted sooji, give a good couple of mins roast in ghee. That will give good aroma.
- Sugar level also depends on taste. 1 cup of sugar makes a medium sweet kesari and i love it this way. You can increase the sugar level if you like it too sweet.
- Roast the semolina / sooji in ghee until it turns light brown and fragrant.
- Stir the sooji to prevent burning.
- Use of whole milk provides best results.
- Soak the saffron in warm milk for 10 minutes.
- For special occasions, use some moulds like heart shaped for visual treat.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Milk Kesari Recipe (Paal Kesari)
Serving Size
1 servings
Amount per Serving
Calories
539
% Daily Value*
Fat
27
g
42
%
Saturated Fat
16
g
100
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Cholesterol
72
mg
24
%
Sodium
48
mg
2
%
Potassium
226
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
71
g
24
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
56
g
62
%
Protein
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
198
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
0.1
mg
0
%
Calcium
155
mg
16
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.