Mango Kesari | Mango Sheera

Ingredients

For mango puree

• 1 mango – ripe, medium to large Alphonso mango or ¾ cup chopped mangoes
• ⅓ cup sugar – or add as required
• 14 to 15 saffron strands
• 3 green cardamoms – husks removed and seeds kept

Other ingredients

• 3 tablespoon ghee or any neutral flavored oil
• ½ cup rava or suji, finer variety (semolina or cream of wheat)
• 12 to 14 cashews
• ½ tablespoon raisins
• 1.5 cups water

Steps

Making mango puree

1. Peel and chop the mangoes. You may replace Alphonso with another sweet, fleshy mango.
2. Have about ¾ cup chopped mango ready.
3. Put the chopped mango pieces into a blender or mixer jar.
4. Add sugar, saffron and cardamom seeds to the mango.
5. Blend until fine and smooth, then set aside.

Making mango kesari

1. Pour water into a saucepan and start heating it over a medium-low to medium flame.
2. In a separate pan or kadai, melt the ghee.
3. With the heat low or medium-low, add fine rava, or suji.
4. Add the cashews too.
5. Roast the rava in ghee over low to medium-low heat, stirring often.
6. Roast the rava well until fragrant. This matters: insufficient roasting makes the sheera sticky or lumpy.
7. As the rava finishes roasting, the cashews will also turn light golden.
8. Well-roasted rava smells aromatic and changes colour. Its grains look dry, separate and crisp, and the ghee starts separating.
9. Meanwhile, the water will begin boiling.
10. Mix the mango purée and raisins thoroughly into the well-roasted rava.
11. Pour in the boiling water in a slow stream, taking care because the mixture splutters.
12. Immediately stir the kesari quickly after adding hot water to prevent lumps. For best results, stir with a wired whisk.
13. The rava will absorb water as the sheera starts thickening.
14. After stirring, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
15. The mango kesari is done when all the water is absorbed. Add more ghee at this point if you wish.
16. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. You may also put the mango kesari in small bowls or muffin cups and remove it once warm or cool.
17. Refrigerate the mango kesari that remains.