Apple Kesari | Apple Sooji Sheera

Looking to make a quick and easy dessert? This Apple kesari / sooji sheera is a delightful variation of the traditional rava kesari. This delicious apple sheera is made with fresh apples, semolina, sugar, ghee, cardamom powder, and dry fruits. It is an easy recipe and can be made in under 30 minutes.

Being a South Indian, the first dessert/sweet that comes to my mind for any special occasion is Rava Kesari.

What is apple kesari?

Kesari is known by many names - sheera, kesari bath, halwa, etc. They have a slight difference in ingredients but are equally delicious and easy to make.

Both my boys love kesari. My elder son gets very happy when I make kesari, especially when I add fruit to it. Pineapple kesari is very popular where bits of pineapple are sauteed in fruit and cooked with semolina. I have also made mixed fruit kesari, which has a mix of different fruits. My inspiration to make this apple kesari is from all these recipes.

Apples are in abundance in the fall and I can never have enough apples at home any time of the year. In fact, during festival times, I end up with an overwhelming amount of apples that we can't finish eating. Recipes like these are a big plus at those times. Check the cinnamon apple smoothie recipe if you have an abundance of apples.

Kesari got its name because of the orange hue of this Indian dessert which is called kesar in Hindi. I have not added any artificial food coloring to the kesari and have used saffron instead.

To make perfect fluffy kesari every time, the amount of water to semolina is critical. For coarse semolina or rava, 3 cups of water to 1 cup of semolina works perfectly. Also, kesari has a good quantity of ghee. Almost equal quantity as the amount of sooji. But I never use that much amount of ghee.

Ingredients needed

Rava / Semolina - Also known as sooji in Hindi. I prefer using coarse semolina f because it gives a grainy texture to the kesari. We could use fine rava as well, but in that case, use less water.

Sugar - I use granulated white sugar or raw sugar to make apple kesari. For every cup of rava, 2 cups of sugar is normally used. I have used a little less for apple kesari as there is also sweetness from the apple in the recipe.

Ghee - I make my ghee at home. We can find ghee in Indian stores or any grocery stores along with the rest of the oils.

Dry fruits - I have used cashews and raisins as they are the typical ones that are used in kesari. We could also add sliced almonds.

Flavorings - Cardamom powder and saffron are what I used in apple kesari. Since apples and cinnamon work well, we could add some cinnamon powder instead of cardamom.

Step-by-step process

• Heat a heavy bottom pan/kadai and add 1 Tablespoon of ghee. Once the ghee heats, add cashew pieces. Fry the cashews until they are light brown and then add the raisins. Fry until the raisin fluffs up and the cashews are golden and then remove them on a plate (step 1).

• Heat water (about 2 cups) until it is boiling. Simmer it until we are ready.

• Add a tablespoon more ghee to the same pan and fry the rava in it (step 2). Fry the rava (I used ½ cup of rava) in low to medium flame until it starts to change color and becomes aromatic. Do not let the color of the rava change. This will take 4 to 5 minutes.

• Now add the chopped apples to the fried rava and saute. Saute on low-medium heat until the apples slightly soften (step 3).

• Now add 1.5 cups of boiling water and mix it well and vigorously. Let the rava cook in low heat. Add saffron strands and mix well (step 4).

• The apples would also soften/cook along with the semolina (step 5). It does not take long for semolina to cook (just bout 7-8 minutes).

• Once the water is all absorbed and the rava has softened, add the sugar (step 6). Add the sugar gradually and keep mixing when adding the sugar. Semolina tends to clump up when the entire measure of sugar is added at once. Adding it gradually makes a smooth kesari without lumps. I have used ¾ cup of sugar today instead of the usual 1 cup as there is a little sweetness from the apples as well.

• Apple kesari would loosen and let out moisture after the sugar is added (step 7). At this stage add the Let it continue cooking until it starts to come together.

• Add the rest of the ghee and cardamom powder. Also, add the fried cashews and raisins and mix everything well (steps 8,9,10).

• Once the kesari comes together and starts leaving the sides of the pan, turn off the heat.

• Scoop hot kesari in a bowl and enjoy. Kesari can be served at room temperature or cold as well.

Expert Tips

• Roasting the rava - Roasting the semolina in slow heat is very important. To make the best apple kesari recipe, it is important to start with a well-roasted rava. This gives the kesari a grainy texture (my favorite) and does not make it mushy.
• Sugar - For the regular kesari, I use 2 parts of sugar for every part. Since this is a kesari with fruit, it also has some natural sweetness from the apples. So I used slightly less sugar.
• Ghee - I don't use a lot of ghee in my kesari. If it is a special occasion and I am making it for a party, I might indulge and add more. But the amount I used works perfectly well to make a fluffy apple kesari.
• Food coloring - I have made this apple kesari without food coloring. I used saffron for its natural color and added flavor. If preferred, we can add saffron color (or orange) food coloring.

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