Rava Kesari

Ingredients:
Rava (semolina) – 250 gms
Condensed milk (Milkmaid) – 1 tin
Ghee (Clarified butter) – ¾ - 1 cup
Water – 4 cups (600ml)
Cashew nuts – as needed (optional)
Raisins – as needed (optional)
Saffron/yellow food color – 1 pinch (optional)

Method:
Heat ghee in a pan, and sauté the cashew nuts and raisins until they turn brown. Remove and keep aside.
In the remaining ghee, sauté the rava until it turns light brown.
In the water, mix the saffron/food color and add it to the rava. When the water is absorbed fully, add the condensed milk. Stir continuously until the mixture starts coming off the sides of the pan. Take off the stove.

Transfer the mixture to a plate greased with ghee. When it cools, cut into small diamond-shaped pieces. Decorate with cashew nuts and raisins.

Postscript:
1. If you want your kesari to be very sweet, you can mix sugar in the water you add to the rava.
2. You can also add cardamom powder to flavor the kesari. We haven’t.

Rava idli

Ingredients:
Sooji/rava - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Ginger – ½ tsp, grated
Green chillies - 2/3, finely chopped
Chana dal – 1 tsp
Cashew nuts – 1 tbsp (optional)
Coriander leaves
Curd – 1 cup
Water – ½ cup (optional)
Oil – 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Sugar – 1 pinch (optional)

Method:
Roast the rava well.
Heat oil in a frying pan and add mustard seeds. When they start crackling, add ginger, green chillies, chana dal and cashew nuts and sauté well.
Take off the stove, add rava and mix well.
Add salt, coriander leaves and curd. Mix well.
Add water (if needed) to make it into an idli-batter consistency.
Keep aside for about 15 minutes.
Grease an idli stand. Pour the batter and steam for around 10-15 minutes.
Serve with podi, chutney or sambhar.

Rava upma

Ingredients:
Sooji/rava - 2 cups, roasted
Onions - 1 medium, finely chopped
Green chillies - 3, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece, finely chopped
Curry leaves
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2, broken into small pieces
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Water - 3 cups
Coconut - 1 cup, grated
Ghee - 1 tbsp (optional)
Cashewnut - 5/6, broken into small pieces (optional)
Sugar - half teaspoon (optional)
Monosodium glutamate - 1 pinch (optional)

Method:
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves and saute well. Add onions, green chillies and ginger. When the onions turn transparent, add water. Add salt, sugar and monosodium glutamate. Bring to a boil. Add the rava slowly and keep stirring well. When the water reduces add the coconut. Take off the stove.
Heat the ghee in a frying pan, add the cashewnuts to it and add it to the upma. Mix well.

Postscript:
Do not saute onions too much or the upma will have a reddish tinge.