
Kesari is a delicious melt in the mouth sweet made with rava aka semolina, fruits like pineapple, ghee, dry fruits and saffron.
Late to the party as usual….Tamil new year just past and I was busy over the weekend with cooking and all the celebrations….no time to post… The menu was the usual vadai, payasam, Sambar… But I had planned on doing something different for the sweet dish and for once had prepped ahead .. (I usually forget soaking stuff and regret later 🙈🙈… But not this time 😀)
I had soaked my sabudana/sago the previous night to make Kesari or halwa with sabudana this new year… I added turmeric for the natural color and cooked it in ghee. The key is well soaked sabudana that is not sticky..
It’s a simple and tasty dish that brings something new to the table. Me and my family really enjoyed this sweet dish.

I love Sabudana Kichidi, is one of the most popular recipes made of sabudana followed by sabudana vada both of which taste amazing. As much as I love to eat the kichidi I hardly used to make it at home because most of the times the soaked sabudana would half dissolve and get very sticky when cooked.
I then learnt few tricks to getting the perfect texture –
Wash the sabudana thoroughly to remove excess starch this is very important step. Then soak for 5-6 hrs with just enough water do not add tooo much water which makes the kernels mushy.When well soaked, drain the kernels on dry them on a clean kitchen towel.
Wola you have nice and fluffy up sabudana kernals ready to turn to a kichdi, keseri or vada….But here I present the recipe of super delicious sabudana kesari
Sabudana Kesari
Ingredients
- 3/4 th cup to 1 cup sagu/sabudana
- 3/4 th to 1 cup sugar
- 2-3 cardamom powdered
- One big pinch of keser
- 1 tbs cashew
- 1 tbs raisens
- 1/2 tsp turmuric
- 2 -3 tbs ghee
- 1 tbs milk or cream of choice
Instructions
- Soak sago or sabudana for 6-8 hrs. It should mash to the touch.
- Drain and dry the sago on a cloth or strainer.
- In a pan add 2 tbs ghee and add the raisins and cashew and roast till golden brown.
- Now add the turmeric and let it cook for a min.
- Meanwhile soak the keser in the milk for 5 mins.
- Add in the soaked Sagu to the pan and mix well.
Tried this recipe? I’d love to know your feedback. Tag @amomscookbookon Instagram and hashtag it #amomscookbook. You can follow me on Facebook, Pinterestand Instagram for more such recipes.