What is Fruit Kesari? Fruit Kesari is a sweet South Indian dessert made using rava (sooji or semolina), cooked with milk and water, and flavored with ghee, cardamom, and most importantly – a mix of fresh fruits and nuts. It’s a twist on the traditional kesari, which usually sticks to plain rava and sugar. In this version, fruits like apple, banana, grapes, orange, and pomegranate are gently sautéed and then added into the kesari to give a soft bite, flavor, and a beautiful look. It’s commonly made during Diwali or special occasions, but honestly, I feel it’s a wonderful pick even for casual family get-togethers or when you want to serve something different for dessert.
Step 1: Prepping and Roasting - Begin by chopping all the fruits into small pieces so they cook quickly and mix well into the kesari. Measure out the milk, water, rava, sugar, ghee, and keep the nuts ready. In a thick-bottomed kadai, Heat a couple of tablespoons of ghee and fry the cashews, almonds, and raisins until golden. Once done, set them aside and lightly sauté the chopped fruits in extra 2 tbsp ghee for just a minute or two to soften them.
Step 2: Making the Flavored Milk and Cooking Rava - In a separate pan, heat 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water, and add the sautéed fruits with a small pinch of yellow food color (optional). Bring it to a gentle boil so the fruity flavors infuse into the milk. In the same kadai, add a bit more ghee and roast the rava on low flame for a couple of minutes. Then slowly pour the hot milk-fruit mix into the roasted rava, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Step 3: Sweetening and Final Touches - Once the rava thickens and absorbs the liquid, stir in the sugar. The kesari loosens for a bit, but it thickens again with a few more minutes of cooking. Add in ghee little by little and cook. Add cardamom powder, a final spoon of ghee, and the fried nuts and raisins. After a gentle mix, turn off the heat leaving behind a warm, fruity kesari that’s ready to enjoy.