Quick, simple festive dessert of Aval Kesari – made with flattened rice/poha with detailed step-wise pictures. Poha Kesari or Poha Sheera is extremely delicious and super easy to make.
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Today I took a decision – I chose to push away the stress, anxiety and everything covid-related to the back of my mind. It is simpler said than done, but I wanted to give it a try and indulge myself in a bit of leisure cooking on the occasion of Tamil New Year. Alas, what’s better than food to raise up our spirits?! The last few days have been stressful and we were making do with minimal basic cooking that today I felt like going all the way. I made Medu Vadai, Sundal and I was going to make Rava Kesari for sweet but ended up making this delicious dessert of Aval Kesari. Aval or Poha is flattened rice and I usually end up making Aval Payasam but today for a change, made off Kesari and it was truly out of the world. Check out my Tamil New Year meal on Instagram.
I remember making Aval Kesari a few years ago but it was an utter flop, as it was a messy gloop that was neither a halwa nor kesari. I definitely skimped on the ghee and used thin poha, I was not too satisfied with the results. If you know me and have been following this blog for a while, you will know that these recipes are tested & tried and are fail-proof. So, I didn’t want to share before making it right and here I am, a few years later. The texture of this Aval Kesari or Poha Sheera is just so good – it is so soft, melt-in-mouth and it is fluffy just like the rava kesari. The best part about this is it stays that way hours after cooling down, instead of caking up and I just love it.
How to make Aval Kesari | Poha Sheera
📖 Recipe
Aval Kesari | Poha Sheera
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
- ½ cup Thick Aval/Poha
- 1.5 cups Water
- ½ cup Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Ghee
- 10-12 Cashews
- 2 Green Cardamoms Powdered
- Pinch of Yellow Food Color
Instructions
- In a thick bottomed pan, dry roast thick aval/poha on low flame until they are crisp enough to break easily. It should take about 5-7mins with constant stirring. Remove from heat and let it cool down completely.
- Pulse in a blender to make a coarse powder.
- Meanwhile heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the same pan. Fry cashews until golden and set them aside.
- Now add the powder aval/poha.
- Roast on low flame for 3-4 mins until all the ghee has been absorbed and the aval/poha changes color slightly.
- Now add water and quickly mix it to remove any lumps. Continue cooking the mixture, stirring occasionally.
- In about 5-7 mins, the mixture should come together. Check if the aval/poha is soft. If there are hard bits, add another ¼ cup of water and cook for few more minutes.
- Add sugar and mix well. The mixture will loosen up. Next add powdered green cardamoms and food color if using. Mix well.
- Now add another tablespoon of ghee and continue cooking the kesari by stirring constantly.
- As the mixture comes together, add the last tablespoon of ghee and mix well.
- When the kesari leaves the sides of the pan and is smooth, switch of the heat. It should be slightly flowy to get the right consistency after cooling down.
- Add fried cashews and raisins (if using). Serve warm immediately!
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Aval Kesari | Poha Sheera
In a thick bottomed pan, dry roast thick aval/poha on low flame until they are crisp enough to break easily. It should take about 5-7mins with constant stirring. Remove from heat and let it cool down completely.
Pulse in a blender to make a coarse powder.
Meanwhile heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the same pan. Fry cashews until golden and set them aside.
Now add the powder aval/poha.
Roast on low flame for 3-4 mins until all the ghee has been absorbed and the aval/poha changes color slightly.
Now add water and quickly mix it to remove any lumps.
Continue cooking the mixture, stirring occasionally.
In about 5-7 mins, the mixture should come together. Check if the aval/poha is soft. If there are hard bits, add another ¼ cup of water and cook for few more minutes.
Add sugar and mix well. The mixture will loosen up.
Next add powdered green cardamoms and food color if using. Mix well.
Now add another tablespoon of ghee and continue cooking the kesari by stirring constantly.
As the mixture comes together, add the last tablespoon of ghee and mix well.
When the kesari leaves the sides of the pan and is smooth, switch of the heat. It should be slightly flowy to get the right consistency after cooling down.
Add fried cashews and raisins (if using).
Serve warm immediately!
Recipe Notes
- If you are using thin poha/aval, adjust the water accordingly.
- It is important for the poha to get roasted enough to get the right texture of the kesari. It is as much important to get the aval/poha cooked right in water, otherwise there will be hard bits.
- If for any reason, the kesari has turned gloopy (after cooling down or otherwise), add extra tablespoon of ghee and continue to cook it until it leaves the sides of the pan. As the sugar cooks, it should result in better texture of the kesari.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
It's All About Food
Looks delicious ?
chcooks
Thank you 🙂