Quinoa Kesari / Sweetened Quinoa With Fruit And Nut

Today, I wanted to make something special for my family. We have all been busy and have not had our family time in a while. To celebrate the occasion I decided to make quinoa kesari. Kesari is a sweet dish that is made with semolina or rava. In Sanskrit, kesaram means mane, and kesari is a lion with kesaram. A lions body has the same color of kesari and when the powder is added to the sweet dish it came to be called kesari. I love quinoa with ghee, sugar and nuts. I often indulge in it, with the left over cooked quinoa. This time, I decided to make the sweetened quinoa from scratch. Here is a version that I enjoyed preparing and relishing with my family.

Gadgets:

Heavy wok with lid

Spatula

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Colander

Kettle

Ingredients:

Quinoa - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup ( it turned out sweeter than I expected)

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Cashew Nuts - 1/4 cup

Raisins - 1/4 cup

Water - 2  1/4 cup
Saffron - a pinch
Kesari Powder - a pinch ( optional if you have food coloring allergies)

Preparation:

1. Wash the quinoa well in water. Drain in a colander until all the water is removed. Boil water in the kettle.

2. Heat the wok to medium high and add the wet quinoa and roast it until the moisture leaves the quinoa.

3. Add 6 tsp of ghee and mix it well until a very aromatic nutty smell comes from the quinoa.

4. Add boiling water and mix well. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. 

5. In about 20 minutes, the quinoa will be all be cooked. Now add the sugar, cardamon and saffron and give it a good mix. 

6. The sugar will start to melt, now increase the heat to medium high and allow the sugar to get absorbed. Lower the heat. Add Kesari Powder (optional) and give it a stir.

7. Heat a seasoning wok with 2 tsp of ghee, add cashew nuts, raisins and allow the cashew nuts to roast. Add it to the quinoa and serve it hot.