Mango / Mambazha Kesari

Mango fever is still catching up with me, and there is nothing to be surprised if my next post is also Mango. I very rarely make sweets at home apart from my once in a month bake. Yesterday was Chitra Pournami (Full moon day in the month of Chithirai, the first month in the Tamil Year) and I still feel embarrassed to say this, more than the occasion or pooja at home I enjoy the food my mom cooks to serve for the pooja ;) I may forget the name of the occasion but will have the menu of items my mom will prepare for the pooja at finger tips. What can I do, I still can’t help it. And for Chitra Pournami she prepares Kesari, sweet pongal, Chick pea sundal, lemon rice and curd rice. Its a fantastic combination I tell you. But I decided to keep it simple with just kesari and sundal this time. Its just me and my husband and the traditional menu is way too much for us.

Inspired by the delicious Pineapple Kesari my mom makes, here am presenting you my version of mango kesari ;)

Enjoy!!!

Serves 5

You Will Need:

A cup of Rava / Sooji

1 1/2 Cups of Water

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp of Cardamom Powder

1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Extract (Optional)

4 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter

Chopped Cashews

Raisins

Cup of Mango Puree

Few Drops of Yellow Food Colour (Optional)

For Mango Puree:

One Whole Mango, Skinned & Roughly Chopped

2 tbsp of Sugar

The Cooking:

Blend together the chopped mango and sugar until smooth and set it aside.

Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium high and dry roast the sooji. Keep stirring constantly, so that it does not brown. Remove it on a plate and keep aside.

Pour water in the same pan on high heat and add sugar, cardamom powder, vanilla extract and food colour. Once it starts to boil, slowly add the roasted sooji stirring constantly to avoid forming lumps. The sooji will start to thicken up, now pour in the mango pulp and stir well until its nice and combined. Keep the flame low and stir for a min.

Heat a kadai and add the ghee. Once hot toast the cashews and raisins, until the cashews turn a nice light brown colour and the raisins are all puffed up.

Immediately pour this ghee and toasted cashews over the kesari, scraping down all the ghee from the kadai. Give it a nice mix and take off heat.

Serve with chopped nuts sprinkles on top.

Important Pointers:

• Dry roasting the rava is very important. If you don’t dry roast it what happens is, the kesari will become very sticky and gum like.
• Keep stirring it constantly and keep a careful eye on the sooji. It needs to turn a very very light golden colour and that’s it not more.
• Adjust the sugar according to your liking, add more if you like it really sweet.
• Stir the kesari once you add the rava to boiling water or else the rava will form lumps.

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Happy Cooking!