Kesari is to South India, what suji ka halwa is to North India. So, basically, its fine semolina (suji/rava or cream of wheat) which is cooked with ghee, sugar and flavorings till a halwa like consistency is achieved. This recipe is of the Rava Kesari With Milk, which obvious from the name, has milk too as one of the main ingredients. This Milk Rava Kesari is also traditionally known as Paal Kesari and is an easy to prepare, yet delicious dessert. The recipe is quite simple too and gets done within half an hour. Definitely, worth a try.
About Rava Kesari With Milk
The Milk Rava Kesari is another rich variation of this Kesari Recipe. Since both these along with the north Indian style Suji Ka Halwa too are really very easy to make and take less time to cook as compared to other Indian sweets, I often end up making these at home. Not just for poojas and festive occasions, but also as a dessert post a meal.
You really can’t go wrong in preparing this Rava Kesari With Milk as is the case with any other halwa or kesari. I mean there’s obviously a chance of turning your dish making process into a disaster or failure, if you are preparing a super complicated Indian sweet for the first time. But with this Paal Kesari, even a first timer can easily get great results as the methodology and procedure to make it is not difficult at all.
As the name suggests, this version of kesari is made with milk and not water, which makes the entire dish richer. In addition to suji and milk, other ingredients that I add in my recipe of Milk Rava Kesari are of course ghee, saffron, cardamom powder, cashews and raisins.
For the orange color, which is actually what the word ‘kesari’ means, I add a few drops of the natural orange color extract. I would really suggest to use natural colors only and not the artificial ones that are usually used in restaurants and hotels. In case, you don’t have the natural color, you can even add a pinch turmeric powder to get a bright yellow color naturally, in your Rava Kesari With Milk.
Since there’s a certain richness in this recipe of Milk Rava Kesari because of the generous quantity of milk and also ghee in it, it is best to have it in small quantities if you are considering it as an after-meal dessert. You really don’t want to end up feeling too stuffed, which can also result in nausea or even stomach issues.
While you are at this recipe of Rava Kesari With Milk, I would really like you to try some other kesari versions too from my blog. These are the Kesari Bath and some fruity variations like the Mango Kesari, Pineapple Kesari and Fruit Kesari which has an array of fruits and nuts.
This Milk Rava Kesari recipe will serve 5 to 6 people. To serve 2 to 3 people, you can easily halve the recipe proportionally. The leftovers stay well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. While serving, you can warm it in a microwave.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to make Rava Kesari With Milk
Boiling milk
1. Take 3 cups milk in a thick bottomed pan.
2. Then, add 1 cup sugar. You can also add sugar as per your taste.
3. Stir and add 12 to 15 saffron strands and 1 to 2 drops of orange or yellow color extract. Here I used natural orange color extract. If you don’t have any natural color, then skip it.
4. Keep the milk on stovetop and allow it come to a boil on low to medium heat. Stir first, so that the sugar dissolves. Later, stir at intervals when the milk is simmering, so that the milk does not get scorched from the bottom.
Frying cashews and roasting rava
5. While the milk is getting heated, in another pan, heat 8 tablespoons ghee.
6. Lower the heat and add 15 to 20 cashews first.
7. Then, add 1 cup ( about 240 grams) fine rava or suji (cream of wheat or semolina).
8. Stir very well.
9. Then, add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or crushed cardamom.
10. On low heat, roast the rava till you you see some crispness in it and it is fragrant. About 6 to 7 minutes on low to medium heat.
TIP: When the cashews get light golden or golden and you see ghee releasing from the sides, then the rava is done. Stir often, so the rava does not get browned and is roasted evenly.
11. Then, add 2 tablespoons raisins. Stir.
12. By now the milk would also have started boiling.
Making Rava Kesari With Milk
13. Pour the boiling milk to the roasted rava. Be careful while adding the hot milk as the mixture splutters too.
14. Once you pour all the milk, then, stir quickly and continuously so that no lumps are formed.
15. You will see the rava will absorb the milk and the mixture will thicken.
16. Level everything with a spoon or spatula and allow to simmer for 4 to 5 minutes on low heat. You can also cover and cook the kesari.
17. Here the Milk Rava Kesari is done and ready to be served. You should not see any creamish specks in the rava. This means that the rava is not cooked well.
18. Serve Milk Rava Kesari hot or warm.
Expert Tips
- For a less sweet kesari, you can decrease the quantity of sugar in the recipe.
- If you do not have the natural orange color extract, just skip adding it. Or else, you can also add a pinch of turmeric powder to get the desired color in the Paal Kesari.
- You can add your choice of nuts and dry fruits in this kesari.
- You have to keep stirring the milk first, so that the sugar dissolves in the milk. Later, stir at intervals, in order to avoid scorching of the milk from the bottom.
- You know that the rava is roasted well when the cashews turn light golden or golden and ghee is released from the sides. You also have to keep stirring so that the rava roasts evenly and does not get browned.
- You can cover the pan too and cook the kesari.
- If you see any tiny creamish specks in the rava, it means that the rava is not cooked well.
More Halwa Recipes To Try!
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Rava Kesari With Milk
This Milk Rava Kesari is an easy to prepare delicious kesari variety made with milk, semolina (rava), sugar and dry fruits.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark while making the recipe
Take 3 cups milk in a thick bottomed pan.
Then add 1 cup sugar. You can add sugar as per your taste.
Stir and add 12 to 15 saffron strands and 1 to 2 drops of orange or yellow color extract. If you don’t have any natural color then skip it.
Keep the milk on stove top and allow it come to a boil on a low to medium flame. Do stir at intervals when the milk is simmering.
Whilst when the milk is getting heated up, in another pan heat 8 tbsp ghee.
Lower the flame and first add 15 to 20 cashews.
Then add 1 cup fine rava/sooji/cream of wheat (about 240 grams).
Stir very well.
Then add 1/2 tsp cardamom powder.
On a low flame, roast the rava often till you you see some crispness in them and they getting nicely fragrant. About 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium flame. A tip is when the cashews get light golden or golden and you see ghee releasing from the sides, then the rava is done. Keep on stirring often, so the rava does not get browned and is roasted evenly.
Then add 2 tbsp raisins. Stir.
By now the milk would also have started boiling.
Pour the hot boiling milk into the roasted rava.
Stir quickly and continuously so that no lumps are formed. Be careful as the mixture splutters too. You will see the rava will absorb the milk and the whole mixture will thicken.
Just level everything with a spoon or spatula and allow to simmer for 4 to 5 minutes on a low flame. You can also cover and cook milk kesari. You should not see any creamish specks in the rava. This means that the rava is not cooked well.
Serve milk kesari hot or warm.
Nutrition Facts
Rava Kesari With Milk
Amount Per Serving
Calories 598 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 67mg22%
Sodium 109mg5%
Potassium 332mg9%
Carbohydrates 79g26%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 51g57%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 885IU18%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 419mg42%
Iron 12.1mg67%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This Rava Kesari With Milk recipe from the archives was first published in April 2015. It has been updated and republished in March 2024.
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