Pineapple Kesari | Pineapple Sheera - 400th Post

 Am so very excited and glad to publish my 400th recipe today and so elated as it co incides with the 73rd Republic Day of My Country, India .

Any special occasion is incomplete without a sweet and here is another yummy and lipsmacking sweet from my mom's kitty - Pineapple Sheera. Also known as pineapple kesari Baath or pineapple kesari, it's a delicacy from the state of Karnataka and is often served in weddings for Breakfast or evening snacks along with Khara Bhaath .

I thank every single person who has helped me in my blogging journey in whatever way possible . My Family and friends have always been very supportive of my work and have encouraged me at all times and made sure I push my boundaries more and more .

Amma would make the best Sheera/Kesari in the world and we can never forget that taste. She never liked using artificial  color or essence to the sheera and was always particular about that. 

Pineapple sheera was her all time hit .She always used little turmeric powder for the color and only fresh juicy pineapples would go into the kesari ,no essence or canned pineapples either .

The small juicy bits of pineapple with every spoonful of kesari is a delight and best enjoyed when the sheera is served warm with the right amount of ghee . 

As I always say,to get the perfect grainy and tasty sheera,the key is in roasting the rava/sooji/semolina to perfection on a medium flame in right amount of ghee . 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 20 mins

Serves - 2 to 3

Complexity - medium 

Ingredients 

1 cup rava 
2 cups water 
10 tbsp ghee 
1/2 cup freshly chopped pineapple 
1 cup sugar
Few saffron strands
Pinch of turmeric 
Few cashewnuts 

Method 

Method

• Cook the pineapple with 1/4 cup water , 2 tbsp sugar and few saffron strands until the pineapples turn soft.  This step will ensure that the kesari doesn't turn tart with the use of fresh cut pineapples. Let this cool for a while. 
• Place a sauce pan with the 2 cups of water for boiling. 
• Heat about 3 tbsp of ghee in a kadai and fry the cashews until golden brown followed by the rava .
• Keep roasting the rava until you get a fragrant aroma and the ladle feels light to handle while roasting. 
• Pour 2 cups of boiling water along with a pinch of turmeric and quickly stir to avoid lumps . Cook until all the water is absorbed into the rava .
• Add the cooked pineapple, 2 tbsp ghee and mix it well. 
• Now go ahead and add the sugar and mix it nicely.  The kesari/sheera will appear liquid again as sugar melts,but continue cooking on medium flame until the sheera starts thickening again.
• Add the remaining ghee in batches and keep stirring till the sheera leaves the sides of the pan and appears to be shiny ,glossy and smooth. 
• Delicious pineapple sheera is ready to be served warm .
• The shelf life of pineapple sheera is ab2 days when kept in fridge.  I don't like to keep it for a long time and consume as the tartness from the pineapple tends to impart an odd after taste after 1 or 2 days.

Rava Pakoras | Semolina Fritters

 Onset of monsoon is a pleasure in many ways . The weather becomes pleasant, the foliage looks fresh , rivers and dams start overflowing and most of all it is a good opportunity for enjoying family time over a cuppa hot tea , soothing music and some snacks . Deep fried snacks are preferred in most homes as they instantly pep up your mood . 

Last couple of days the city where I live has been experiencing wet spells on and off making it  perfect for enjoying some crispy and soft Rava Pakoras . These rava pakoras are my mom's speciality and she would dish it out for me when I would have sudden cravings for a fried item or when me and my friends came home famished and hungry after our classes .  Amma would add in finely chopped pudina , spinach/palak or even fresh methi/fenugreek leaves to the pakora batter and the taste would be fantastic. 

Rava/ Semolina is a versatile ingredient and is always present in any Indian Kitchen. We can dish out many amazing recipes ,sweets as well as savories using this magical ingredient.  Since rava cooks easily and also tastes delicious, it is the most sought after ingredient for a quick snack .

In today's recipe,  I have used kasuri methi (sun dried fenugreek leaves ) instead of fresh methi which was one of the secret ingredients along with rava given to me by Swaty for our gourmet secret challenge cooking group  .

Rava is not gluten free ,so pls exercise caution if you are allergic to Gluten or following a GF diet . 

Some traditional and classic recipes using Rava / Semolina published on my blog for you all to try and enjoy !! 

Sweets

Kesari  Baath

Sajjige / Sheera

Banana Sheera

Mango Sheera

Rava Payasam/Kheer

Savories

Rava Upma 

Rava Idli 

Rava Dosa 

Tomato Rava Dosa 

Maddur Vade 

As it is monsoon time, we all keep looking for some delicious snacks to munch on  and if you love trying some new recipes, you must look up my friends' Shobha ji and Swaty's blog without fail . These two blogs are a treasure chest of exotic and amazing recipes from world over .

I have bookmarked shobha ji's Rice and dal dhoklas to try soon while Swaty's delicious Ginger  Tea with a host of exotic and therapeutic ingredients is very refreshing for a chill evening. 

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Frying Time - 20 to 25 mina
Complexity - easy 
Serves - 3 to 4 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup fine rava /sooji / semolina 
2 tbsp chick peas flour /besan 
1 tbsp rice flour 
2 tbsp kasuri methi 
Handful of finely chopped corriander 
Pinch of carom seeds/ajwain/omam 
1-2 finely chopped green chillies 
1/2 tsp red chilli powder 
Salt as needed 
Pinch of turmeric 
Water as needed 
Oil for deep frying 

Method 

• In a wide mixing bowl , add all the dry ingredients including the kasuri methi and corriander except for oil and water. 
• With your fingers mix it well so that all ingredients get mixed well .
• Sprinkle water little by little and bring it together to form a dough . Donot add too much water else it will become too watery and the pakoras will absorb oil while frying . 
• If you happen to add extra water by chance, add in some rava to the mixture ,rava will absorb the extra water .
• Heat oil in a kadai , randomly pinch out small portions from the pakora dough and drop it into hot oil carefully .
• Flip it over and fry carefully until the pakoras turn crisp and golden brown. 
• Serve hot with green chutney, tamarind chuney or tomato sauce. 

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Tomato Rava Dosa | Tomato Suji Dosa

is a very popular variant of the regular Dosas but comparatively easy to make as this doesn't require soaking of lentils or rice and there is no headache of grinding and fermenting the batter too.
Rava dosa can be whipped up pretty much instantly with just 3 ingredients from the pantry and a few spices for the added taste and flavor .  The basic plain and simple rava dosa recipe is already shared on my blog, you can have a look at the recipe here .
Today's variant of rava dosa is infusing some tomato flavor into the batter with the right amount of spices and flavoring.  Let us check the recipe now .

Preparation Time - 30 mins
Cooking Time - 2 -3 mins per dosa
Makes -  8-9 dosas
Complexity  - medium

Rava Payasam | Sooji Kheer | Rava Kheer

Rava Paysam / Kheer is a very quick and easy to whip up dessert incase you have sudden guests or visitors at home or need a simple yet tasty dessert for a kitty party . This can be rustled up in less than 20 mins with bare minimum ingredients which are always available in our kitchen pantry .
This dessert will yield a nice quantity as rava when roasted and cooked will swell up well increasing the volume of the dessert .

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Complexity : simple

Avarekaalu Uppit | Hyacinth Beans Upma

As you all know by now, Avarekaalu is a very famous bean used widely in Karnataka and my all time favorite too . 

Avarekaalu uppit is a sumptuous and filling breakfast . Avarekaalu uppit or upma can be made either with rice rava or regular rava,I prefer using regular rava and the taste is simply out of the world. 

** post and photos updated on 7th July 2022

I have already blogged the famous recipes Avarekalu Akki Roti , Avarekalu Kootu  and Avarekaalu Mixture (crispies ),do check them out as well.

The main ingredient in Avarekaalu Upma is boiled avarekaalu whose crunch is felt in every bite. Use fresh and tender avarekaalu /hyacinth beans for the best taste and flavor . I always prefer using fresh beans rather than frozen or dehydrated.  You may freeze the beans ,but I personally don't like hence I use it only when it is available aplenty in the season.

 Pair it with some piping hot Pineapple Kesari or Kesari Baath, you can treat your family to a royal breakfast and trust me your family will be all praises for you!

Preparation Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity : medium

Ingredients
1 cup rava /sooji/ semolina (100 gms approx)
2 cups water ( 200 ml)
20-25 grams boiled avarekaalu / papdi / mochai
1 large tomato chopped
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
small piece of ginger finely chopped
few curry leaves
1-2 tsp rasam powder
pinch of haldi
asafoetida
2-3 tablespoons oil or ghee (skip ghee for vegan)
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsps udad dhall + channa dhall (black gram + benagal gram)

Method

• In a wide kadai / pan , heat the oil / ghee and splutter the mustard seeds , channa dhall,udad dhall until the dhalls turn golden brown .  Keep the water for boiling side by side.
• Fry the chillies, ginger and curry leaves until you get a nice aroma . Add the asafoetida and haldi in the end and make sure the haldi does not burn.
• Add the rava and roast it well till the rava gives out a fragrant roasted aroma .Take care not to burn the rava by over roasting. 
• Add the boiled beans, salt as needed and mix it well , slowly and carefully pour the boiling water and stir quickly to avoid lump formation.
• Add in the tomatoes, rasam powder and mix it well. Close with a lid and let the upma cook for 4-5 mins ,until the rava soaks up all the water and the rava is nicely cooked .
• Turn off the stove, let it rest for  5 mins. Garnish with some fresh corriander and add a dollop of ghee over the upma and mix it well.
• Serve it hot with a chutney of your choice or even plain thick curd is a good combination.

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Tri color Rava Dhokla - Natural colors

Dhokla is a very famous and a sumptuous breakfast / tea time snack served in Gujurati households. There is  Khaman often called as Khaman Dhokla that is made using besan/ chick pea flour , Idada/ Safed dhokla made by grinding dhall and rice and steaming the next day after fermentation of batter or the other variant which is almost instant is the Rava Dhokla which is made using Semolin/Rava and curd / yogurt .

Today , I have tried to make a tri colored dhokla using natural colors like carrot puree for the orange and coriander - chilly puree for the green . You can alternatively use the puree of spinach/palak for the green color.

The puree are added to the rava dhokla batter and steamed step by step to get a perfect tri color dhokla.

We can also smear some green chutney in between the layers for added taste .

This will make a nice starter or finger food for any kind of get togethers or parties . It can be made in advance and just warmed up in the m/w oven before serving.

Preparation time : 40 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity : medium

Ingredients 
1 cup rava (approx 150gms)
1/2 cup thick yogurt
salt as needed
2 tsp eno fruit salt
2 tablespoon of carrot puree
2 tablespoon of coriander chilli puree / spinach puree
pinch of sugar

Method

• Roughly chop the carrots and puree them in a blender and pass it through the sieve to get a fine puree. You can add some red chilli powder for the spice factor if the carrots are very sweet.

• Blend the corriander and chilli in the blender and pass it through the sieve to get only the puree.

• If using spinach, then slightly blanch it before you puree it.

• Mix the rava and curd in a mixing bowl and keep it aside for 30 mins.This will help the rava absorb all the yogurt and swell up well.

• After 30 mins, divide the mixture into 3 equal parts.

• To one part add the carrot puree , to the other add the corriander/palak puree and the third part can remain as is. Adjust the water content , add salt, sugar and make the batter to be like idli batter . This is the perfect consistency for dhokla batter.

• Ready the steamer / idli cooker and grease a cake tin or a cooker separator vessel and keep ready.
• Add some eno fruit salt to the carrot flavored batter and pour it into the vessel, tap well and steam it for about 3-4 mins.

• While the carrot batter is steaming,add eno to the white plain batter and keep ready . Now ,pour the white batter over the partly steamed carrot batter ,tap it well and place it back in the steamer for 3-4 minutes.

• Add eno to the coriander batter and after 3-4 mins of steaming the plain batter, pour this over the white batter , tap well and then steam the entire batch for another 8-12 minutes or until the dhokla is ready.

• Let it cool completely before you can slice them up and serve it with some spicy green chutney or dates tamarind chutney.
• You can also pour a tempering of mustard seeds and green chillies like we do for normal dhoklas.

Khaara Bhaath | Karnataka special Rava Upma

Khaara Bhaath , is a typical Karnataka style Upma made using rava / semolina/ sooji and uses the Vaangi Bhaath masala powder for added flavors . This addition of the spice powder makes it taste different. Unlike, the usual upma this upma is slightly soggy and well lubricated using ghee / oil such that one spoonful in your mouth and it will just slide down your throat.

Khaara Bhaath is usually paired with Kesari Bhaath (Sheera) and the combo is called as Chou Chou Bhaath . The traditional eateries called as Darshinis or Upahara Darshinis across Karnataka serve this on their Breakfast Menu.

The Khaara Bhaath can be made using mixed vegetables or just plain tomato and some peas / groundnuts .

My version today makes use of plain tomatoes,paired with some fried groundnuts and the quint essential Bhaath Masala .(Recipe for masala powder is detailed below in the post).

Preparation Time : 10 min

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Complexity : Medium

Serves : 2-3

Restaurant Style Crispy Rava Dosa - Video recipe

Does anyone really need an introduction to Rava Dosa? The name itself makes us imagine of a crispy ,lacy and big sized golden brown color dosa / crepe loaded with jeera,pepper corns,finely chopped green chillies ,curry leaves,corriander leaves and some bits of finely sliced coconuts or cashewnuts..
This itself must have set you all drooling....am I right?
So now for all of us Rava Dosas are synonymous to restaurant order as we  take a back stand to make it at home . henceforth,with this recipe you can always make crispy restaurant style rava dosas at the comfort of your home and dunk them in your favorite chutney and sambar and relish it.
This is an absolutely instant dosa that requires no special ingredients and can be whipped in actually less than 20 min.
Coconut chutney ,Tomato chutney are the best side dish for rava dosa.

Please read the tips and follow the video to get the perfect crispy Rava Dosa.

Jain Version : Skip the onion and follow the recipe as is

Preparation Time : 10  mins
Cooking Time : approx 2 mins per dosa
Makes : 9 dosas
Complexity : medium

Sooji Halwa | Prasad ka Sheera | Sajjige | Semolina Pudding - Video Post

Sooji Halwa / Sajjige / Sheera is the most  important Prasad for SathyaNarayan Pooja,Kanya Pooja during Navratri also known as Kanjak pooja . 

In North India Halwa Poori and Channa are offered as Bhog to Devi Maa on Durgashtami .Little girls who haven't attained puberty are invited and offered this Prasad .These little girls are called Kanjaks or Kanya and are seen as Devi roopam.(form of Devi).

(Redoing my old posts - 20/10/2020) 

This time for Blogging Marathon we are exploring "Puddings"  and this is my humble attempt to promote the famous  Indian dessert which falls under the Pudding category..read below to know  more about Puddings 

When we hear the name pudding,the first thing that strikes us is some complex International cuisine..doesn't it? and immediately we take a back stand thinking about the unknown ingredients that we will need to use,some new cooking techniques etc etc.

Donot worry my friends,initially when I started cooking ,I also was under the same impression about puddings ,but as I started reading cookbooks,googling for new recipes and surfing the internet to understand the various cooking terms and actual meanings, I realised we Indians have so many mithais that qualify under the pudding category which we call by different names. To name a few the various Payasams/Kheer ,Rabri,Firni,Sheera ,Sheer Korma etc.
You can look up wiki for an exhaustive list that will break your myths about Puddings .
 

Now coming to our recipe , often Sajjige and Kesari are confused to be the same dish with different names,but there definately is a difference in both even if the main ingredient Rava/Semolina is the same. 

Differences in Sheera/Sooji Halwa and Kesari 

• Kesari is made only with Rava,sugar and water as main ingredients . 
• Sheera/Sajjige is made using Rava,sugar and Milk.
• For Kesari a wee bit of food color is used like orange or yellow.
• Sooji ka halwa gets its light cream color from saffron strands.  Adding saffron is purelyyour choice.
• Kesari is very popular in South India and is a special delicacy liked by one and all . 
• Kesari Bhaat is very popular breakfast item in Karnataka and is a part of the popular breakfast combo Chow Chow Bhaath.

 This is a video post ,that has all the detailing about how to roast the rava perfectly and the consistency,amount of ghee to be added etc etc.

Other flavors of Sheera on my blog 

• Banana Sheera  
• Mango Sheera 
• Bansi Rava Sheera

Preparation Time - 5 mins

Cooking Time : 20-25 mins

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

1/2 cup rava

1 cup milk

1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar

2-3 elaichis powdered

10-15 cashewnuts chopped

2-3 tablespoon ghee

few strands of kesar/saffron/kumkuma poo

Method

• Keep the milk in a sauce pan with the saffron strands for boiling.
• Simultaneously , heat a tablespoon of ghee in a kadai/pan,and roast the rawa nicely until you get a nice aroma of roasted rava and the rava begins to feel light on roasting.
• As the rava is roasted,the milk also begins to boil,slowly pour the milk onto the roasted rava and stir simultaneously to avoid formation of lumps.
• Slowly all the milk gets absorbed into the rava and it feels like a huge mass.
• Now add the sugar and mix well,the mass gets liquified again.Donot worry,it will thicken up as the sugar gets absorbed.
• Keep stirring occasionally and when you see all the sugar is melted and mixed well,add the cardamom powder and a tablespoon of ghee and mix well.
• Slowly the sheera gets done and you can see it leaving the sides of the pan easily and the ghee starts oozing out from the sides. The entire mixture looks glossy and shiny.Turn off the stove at this stage.
• Roast the cashews in ghee and add it to the sheera and mix well.
• Transfer into a dry container and serve it warm.
• You can warm the sheera in the microwave before serving .The sheera stays good for 3-4 days in fridge if kept away from moisture and wet spoon.

Notes:

• Ratio of Rava to Milk is 1: 2 i.e. for 1 measure of rava you will need 2 measures of milk.
• Ratio of Rava to Sugar is 1:1 or if you like a little more sweet you can use 1 measure rava to 1.25 measures sugar.
• Roast the rava very patiently in medium flame taking care not to burn the rava. Do this step very carefully and utmost attention.

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Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#74

Vegetable Rava Upma | Rava Kichadi | Rava Baath

Rava/Sooji Upma is a very filling and delicious breakfast which is staple across India. Upma loaded with vegetables is known by different names like Rava Kichadi , Rava baath , veg upma , veg uppitu.  Rava Kichadi is not be confused with the traditional Khichadi made from Rice and lentils .

Rava kichadi is slightly soft and gooey as compared to plain rava upma. Rava kichadi is a term used in Tamil Nadu and this is something I learnt after my marriage .Back home at Amma's we would call it as plain upma and veg upma.

I prefer to roast the rava just at the time of making the upma rather than using the store bought pre roasted rava. I roast it separately in a dry kadai when I make upma with vegetables. You can roast the rava in microwave too . 

Microwave hack to keep the rava pest free

It is believed that if one is able to cook a perfect lump free Rava Upma, then the person has a good understanding of cooking.

As rava baath is packed with vegetables you can have it as is with a cup of thick curd or coconut chutney or tomato chutney if you like a dash of extra spiciness and zing to tickle your palate.

 The coconut chutney has to be runny and not very thick like the one served with idlis and dosas.

soft and binding Upma : 1 measure of rava needs 4 measures of water  other wise if you like a
grainy Upma  : 1 measure rava is to 2 measures of water.

Post updated in Feb 2025

Presenting a very old post,with lot of new photos ,extra information ,tips and tricks to male a delicious melt in mouth rava kichadi. 

Preparation time : 15 mins
Cooking time : 30 mins
Serves : 2-3
Complexity : Medium High

 Jain version of Rava Upma ,donot add onions ginger,potato and carrots in the recipe.

At home,we like rava baath to be soft but grainy,so I use 3 cups of water.  

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Ingredients

1 cup rava/sooji/semolina
1 cup assorted vegetables finely chopped(beans,carrot,potato,peas,cabbage , capsicum)

1 onion finely chopped (optional)
2 to 3 green chillies finely chopped
6-7 curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped / grated
Salt as needed

Pinch of sugar
3 tablespoon of oil.

To Temper
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dhall + channa dhall 
pinch of asafoetida/hing/perungayam
1 tsp haldi/turmeric

Method

• Place 3 cups of water for boiling in a saucepan.
• In a kadai heat the oil and temper with mustard seeds,udad dhall,channa dhall and hing one by one .i.e. first the mustard must splutter completely only then add the dhalls.
• add the finely chopped ginger,onions ,green chillies and curry leaves and saute well till onion turns pink.
• Add the turmeric, finely chopped veggies and saute well with salt. Cook covered for 3 to 4 mins till the vegetables become soft .
• Add the roasted rava and fry it for 3 to 4 minutes along with the vegetables.
• Gently pour the boiling water and mix well so that the mixture is lump free. Add a pinch of sugar at this stage.
• Close the kadai and cook for 5 mins or until all the water is absorbed into the rava.
• Slowly open the lid,mix the upma well ,turn off the stove and let it rest for about 5 mins .
• Garnish with lots of coriander , drizzle some ghee .If you like, you can garnish some freshly grated coconut as well.
• Serve hot with curd or coconut chutney of your choice.

Rava Idli | Rave Idli - Karnataka Special

Rava Idli is a speciality of Karnataka,a signature dish invented by the popular restaurant / food chain group MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Rooms ). Rava idli was born sometime during the World War 2 era when there was a shortage of rice.   The popular chain then experimented making idlis using rava/ semolina and thus was invented the yummy and delicious Rava Idli. 

The main ingredient for rava idli is Semolina ,locally known as Rava , Bombay Rava or Sooji .

The rava is roasted to perfection along with seasoning of mustard, green chillies ,curry leaves and mixed with yogurt/curd to prepare a thick batter . Since there is no fermentation involved as in case of traditional idlis ,a raising agent like cooking soda or fruit salt is added to the batter just before steaming. 

To make rava idlis,the  batter is steamed using idli plates and served hot with coconut chutney, sambar or another karnataka special curry Sagu 

A dash of ghee/clarified butter drizzled over the idlis is all the more delicious. 

Preparation Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Serves : 2-3
Jain Version : Skip the ginger and follow the recipe as it is

Ingredients

200 gms / 1 measure  of rava / semolina
1/2 inch Finely chopped/grated  ginger
10-15 curry leaves finely chopped
4-5 green chillies finely chopped
Cilantro / Corriander finely chopped
1.5 measure fresh curd /yogurt
15- 20 Cashew nuts
1 tsp eno fruit salt.

Optional Ingredients
50 gms Green peas  (fresh / frozen ) 
1 carrot finely grated

Tempering

1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Udad dal / black lentil (dehusked)
1 tsp channa dal / bengal gram
pinch of asafoetida
salt as per taste
4 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter

Video recipe link 

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the mustard seeds,once they crackle , add udad dal,channa dal,curry leaves,ginger,green chillies,asafoetida.
• As the lentils start turning a little brown,add the semolina and roast it until the raw flavor of rava is lost.
• The roasted rava will give out a very nice aroma ,take care to see that the rava doesnt turn brown.
• In another pan,heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts until golden brown.
• Add it to the rava mixture and mix well . Also add salt and allow to cool for about few minutes.
• In the meanwhile,grease the idli moulds and set the idly cooker ready for steaming.
• Beat the yogurt/curd to remove the lumps by adding some water and add this to the rava mixture.
• If you find the batter too thick you can add a little water to get the desired consistency.
• Now add the green peas, grated carrot,cilantro to this batter and mix well.Make sure to squeeze the carrot before you add it,else the batter will turn too watery and might get an orange color from the carrot.
• In case you feel the salt is less,add it accordingly.
• Just before putting the batter onto the moulds,add the eno fruit salt. The moment you add this,you can see the batter bubbling because of the presence of Sodium bi carbonate in the fruit salt.
• Now pour the batter into the moulds and steam for about 8-10 mins.
• Demould and serve hot with ghee and coconut chutney.

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