Aval Kesari with Desi Cow Ghee

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Traditional Tamil Nadu Recipe • Desi Cow Ghee

Aval Kesari

Saffron-hued rice flake kesari cooked in ghee — a Tamil Nadu temple offering and the fastest festive sweet you can make in under 20 minutes.

5Min Prep
15Min Cook
4Servings
“Aval kesari was the sweet made when unexpected guests arrived. It needs nothing that isn’t already in the kitchen, and it takes less time than the tea you make for them. But the ghee must be good. With poor ghee it becomes a sticky lump. With real ghee it becomes a celebration.”

Ingredients

Aval (poha/rice flakes), thick variety 1 cup
Sugar ¾ cup
Water 1½ cups
Sree Kumaran Desi Cow Ghee 3 tbsp
Cardamom powder ½ tsp
Saffron strands soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk a pinch
Cashews and raisins fried in ghee 2 tbsp each

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and lightly roast the aval for 2 minutes until it turns crisp. Set aside.
  2. Bring water to boil. Add the roasted aval and stir well. Cook on low heat, stirring, until aval softens completely and absorbs the water, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add sugar and stir vigorously. The mixture will loosen then begin to thicken again as sugar absorbs. Add saffron milk and cardamom.
  4. Add remaining ghee in two batches, stirring between each, until the kesari is glossy and pulls from the sides of the pan.
  5. Top with fried cashews and raisins. Serve warm. Sets into firm squares when cooled.
Chef’s Note

Saffron is what gives kesari its signature orange colour. The deeper yellow from real saffron soaked in warm milk is completely different from artificial orange colour. With desi cow ghee and real saffron, aval kesari looks and tastes like it came from a temple kitchen.

Made with Sree Kumaran Desi Cow Ghee

Pure • Traditional • No preservatives • Since 1945

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