Rava Kesari Halwa Recipe, How to make Sooji Kesari Halwa Recipe

June 18, 2015

Rava Kesari is a popular South-Indian sweet made from semolina. The another name of Rava Kesari is "Sooji ka Halwa" which is famous in North-India especially made during the festive season. The only difference between the rava kesari and sooji ka halwa is the color.

Rava Kesari has an orange color – hence the term kesari which means orangish. Generally synthetic orange food color is added while making rava kesari.

This is my Mother-in-Law(MiL) recipe, she usually used orange food color in it. Since i don’t use any synthetic colors in food, I have used "saffron" to give the color tones. Saffron will give yellow tones as well it gives a nice flavor and aroma to the halwa. If you want orange tones, then add orange food color.

This is one of my family's favourite sweet dish. It is very easy to make. This sweet desert made from rava (sooji / semolina), cooked in a ghee with sugar syrup and other dry fruits.

This is one of the Indian perfect desert and easy and quick halwa recipe, so you don’t need any excuse or occasion to make it. Rava kesari is often made for an auspicious occasion or a pooja, it could also be a festive occasion like Diwali, Ganesha chaturthi, holi or a religious ceremony conducted in my home or just want to have something sweet.

If you are looking for more sweet recipes then do check :-
Sweet Vermicelli
Aam Papad
Motichoor Ladoo
Rava Sheera
Rasgulla

Lets begin the step by step rava kesari recipe with pictures.

Ingredients :

Sooji / Rava / Semolina - 1 cup (thin one)
Sugar - 1 and 3/4 cup ( use 2 cup for more sweetness )
Desi Ghee - 1/2 cup
Water - 4 cups
Saffron threads/kesar - 2 to 3 pinches
Chopped cashews - 5-6 nos
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Raisins - 5-6 nos

Note* : You can adjust the dry fruits as per as your taste.

Preparation Method :

1. Heat ghee in a kadai or a thick bottomed pan. Add the rava or sooji along with cashews and begin to roast.

2. Dissolve sugar, water and saffron in a another pan. Keep on flame and allow it to come to a boil.

3. Meanwhile continue to roast the rava (semolina) and add cardamom powder. Roast till you can see the ghee getting separated and the color of the rava should not become brown. This takes approx 7-8 minutes on a low flame.