Orange Kesari Recipe - Indian style semolina pudding or dessert using semolina, fresh orange juice, cardamom and nuts.
What is orange rava kesari?
Orange rava kesari is a new and innovative variation of making the traditional Indian semolina pudding. Rava kesari is also known as sooji ka halwa and kesari bhath.
It is usually cooked with water but I have added freshly squeezed orange juice to it for the wonderful fruity flavor and taste.
Unlike the traditional halwa, this orange halwa doesn't require any food color. The orange juice itself gives a lovely color to the dessert.
Can I use store-bought orange juice?
Yes, if you can find the best quality natural orange juice. If the juice is too sweet, reduce the sugar accordingly.
How long can I store it for?
It keeps well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Serving suggestions:
It can be served cold or warm.
You can shape the pudding into small pieces or fluff it with a fork and serve as a dessert or snack.
It is a perfect sweet to make during festivals such as Varalakshmi vratham, Navaratri and Ganesh Chaturthi.
Tips to make the best orange halwa:
- Roasting the semolina and liquid ratio is very important to make the perfect and soft halwa.
- Do not add more water or juice than mentioned.
- Wait for the water-juice to boil thoroughly before adding the roasted rava / sooji/ semolina to make the halwa soft.
- Make sure the semolina or rava is cooked completely before adding sugar. Otherwise, it will remain uncooked.
Step by step preparation:
- Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry the nuts to golden brown color and keep them aside.
- In the same ghee, add semolina and fry continuously on medium-low flame until it becomes light golden brown color.
- Transfer the roasted semolina to a plate and keep it aside to use it later.
- Bring orange juice and water together to a rolling boil in a vessel or nonstick pan.
- Slowly add the roasted semolina to the boiling orange juice mixture and mix without any lumps.
- Now reduce the flame to low and add the remaining ghee to the pan.
- Cook the mixture over a low flame for a couple of minutes or until the semolina gets cooked.
- Now add the measured sugar and cardamom powder and mix until well combined.
- Let the sugar dissolve completely. Keep stirring and cook for another few minutes.
- When the mixture thickens, add the fried nuts and mix everything.
- Turn off the flame. Transfer the halwa to a greased tray and cut into desired shapes.
Few more Indian sweets you'll love:
- Prasadacha Sheera
- Bellam Kesari
- Saggubiyyam Payasam
- Pineapple Halwa
- Poornam Boorelu
- Bellam Pongali
- Singhara Halwa
- Godhuma Kobbari Payasam
- Kesar Peda
- Kumbilappam
How to make orange sooji ka halwa recipe video below:
Orange Rava Kesari Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Semolina / Sooji
- ¾ cup Orange Juice
- ¾ cup Water
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Ghee
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- Nuts as needed
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry the nuts to a golden brown color and keep them aside.
- In the same ghee, add the semolina and fry continuously on medium-low flame until it becomes light golden brown color.
- Transfer the roasted semolina to a plate and keep it aside.
- Combine the orange juice and water in a vessel and bring it a rolling boil.
- Slowly add the roasted semolina to the boiling orange juice mixture and mix without any lumps.
- Add remaining ghee to the semolina mixture and combine well.
- Cook the mixture over a low flame for a couple of minutes or until the semolina gets cooked.
- Now add the sugar and cardamom powder and mix until combined.
- Let the sugar dissolve completely. Keep stirring.
- When the mixture thickens, add the fried nuts and mix everything.
- Turn off the flame. Transfer the halwa to a greased tray and cut into desired shapes.
- Serve warm or cold.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only.
Kousikasa g says
yes we have tried this
and had the highest appreciation of near and dear
thank you
keep it up
Atul Mandal says
Awesome recipe. We have made this at our home. Thanks for sharing.
Hari Chandana P says
Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Loganayaki says
I love your blog and recipes. I’ll try out this recipe for sure.
Cheers
Loganayaki
Hari Chandana P says
Thank you so much, Loganayaki.. Good to know you liked them. Please try and let me know! 🙂
Alix @A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
I love this Halwa recipe! We absolutely adore Indian cooking here in our Parisian kitchen! We love trying different curries and desserts for the two us (my husband and I) and our friends. I'm so happy to have found your site!
Hari Chandana P says
I'm so glad you like the recipes, Alix. I am going to try some of your recipes very soon. Thanks a lot for your wonderful comments. So nice of you! 🙂
Anjali Dwivedi says
Such a lovely recipe thanks for sharing all of us....
Hari Chandana P says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Sowmya says
You have the magic of making the simplest of dishes look so exotic. Happy New Year Chandana. Good job.
Hari Chandana P says
Thank you very much for your kind words, Sowmya.. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
Sahiba says
I'm book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Superb blog and outstanding design.
Hari Chandana Ponnaluri says
Thank you very much! 🙂
Anusha says
Hello Hari, thank you for sharing this. I am confused about the amount of sugar to add. Not sure if 1/2 cup would be enough to make the halwa sweet enough. Do you have any video for this recipe?
Hari Chandana Ponnaluri says
Hello Anusha, 1/2 cup of sugar is usually enough for us. Of course, you could add more as you see fit. Unfortunately, I don't have a video for this recipe. Will try to update in the near future. Thank you! 🙂