KESARI BATH derives its name from Kesari or Kesar meaning Saffron and bath meaning a mixture. Kesari Bath is a traditional indian dessert with different names used for the same delicacy by different communities across India.
In the Indian culture and tradition every auspicious occasion, be it a festival or an event or a Pooja demanded atleast one dessert or multiple desserts.
One of the most popular or common dessert has been the Kesari Bath, which also doubles up as an offering to the divine. In every auspicious ceremonies, the deities are offered food, known as Prasadam, for which Kesari Bath is one of the most common type of offering.
Be it in homes or temples or religious events, Kesari Bath takes precedence and the choice of most people across India, as it is known to the the purest form of offering.
Evident from the name, Kesari Bath is a blend of Sooji or semolina or rava in south India, with ghee and dry fruits.
The taste of Kesari Bath predominantly lies in the quality of Sooji or Semolina and the process of roasting the Sooji in a dry pan. Most people are either not aware of the process or do not give importance to it, resulting in a sticky paste that also spoils the consumption of the delicacy.
Sugar and Water are also important ingredients in the process, which requires to be consistent and properly stirred to make a consistent fluid before the roasted sooji is mixed with the sugary syrup.
The quality of Ghee also plays a significant role in the taste and the aroma of the preparation of Kesari Bath. Pure Ghee prepared from the milk of desi cow is the ideal ingredient for Kesari Bath.
The colour, taste and aroma are prime factors determined by the ghee, which when cooked properly renders the Kesari Bath with a yellowish golden hue.
Like every other food product or delicacy, Kesari Bath has also undergone a process of evolution with changing times and trends. People have become creative use various ingredients to prepare Kesari Bath to make it more palatable and presentable.
Pineapple Kesari Bath is one such delicacy, which is most popular in South In-dia. In most weddings and religious events, Pineapple Kesari Bath is the cho-sen dessert.
Even some of the restaurants serve Pineapple Kesari Bath with chunks of Pineapple semi-cooked to retain the crispiness, leaving the consum-er wanting for more!
Another variant is the Shavige Sooji Kesari Bath, which is a combination of Sooji and Shavige or vermicelli. The blend of both the ingredients made this type of Kesari Bath another winner in most restaurants who are known for this delicacy.
Another popular traditional Kesari Bath is Banana Kesari Bath, which was gen-erally introduced in temples as an offering to the deity. Banana is diced into smaller pieces and then slightly cooked with the Sooji / Rava to prepare an aromatic Banana Kesari Bath.
Another richer variant is the Dry fruit Kesari Bath, made exclusively with a variety of dry fruits, including Almonds (Badam), Pista, Figs, Cashew Nuts, a little bit of cardamom for flavouring and Saffron. Some people also use cloves to give it richer taste and aroma.
In south India, especially in restaurants in Karnataka, Kesari Bath is served along with Kara Bath, another snack or breakfast dish made with sooji or semolina, which is spicy. A combination of sweet and spice served together in the same plate, popularly known as ‘Chow Chow Bath’. Tourists who have read about this delicacy often visit traditional restaurants who serve this dish only to taste and relish it.
In many communities, Kesari Bath is prepared as a sweet bar. Even in SriLanka popular as ‘Kesari’, the delicacy is cooked and poured onto a thick plate and allowed to cool like a cake. Then the cake is cut into diamond cubes and serves as pieces. This makes the dessert also easy to palate, since it’s dry and easily consumable anywhere, anytime!
Preparation of Kesari Bath is now very easy, owing to the good quality raw materials, especially the sooji or semolina from the house of Sri Bhagyalakshmi Foods, which is a household name for rava in South India for over four decades.
Step 1: Take 2 cups of Sri Bhagyalakshmi Sooji / Semolina or Rava in a dry pan and roast the sooji for few minutes. The moisture content in the rava must be removed before you prepare the Kesari bath.
Step 2: Then take Ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Add few pieces of cashew and 2 cups Sri Bhagyalakshmi Rava and roast it for few minutes.
Step 3 : Take another pan dissolve 2 cups of sugar in 1 cup of water and add saffron and bring it to boil.
Step 4 : Add the roasted Sri Bhagyalakshmi Rava/ Semolina into the sugar solution slowly while continuously stirring so that lumps are not formed. When the whole mixture starts thickening and leaves the edge of the pan, switch off the flame.
Step 5: Close it with a tight lid and allow the rava kesari to steam for 5-6 minutes.
Step 6: Serve it after garnishing it with Saffron, Almond and Pista flakes.
Ideal preparation time is about 30 minutes.
Ideal cooking time is about 15 minutes.
Choose Sri Bhagyalakshmi Sooji or Rava to prepare delicious Halwa, Rava Dosa, Rava Laddoo, Rava Upma, Rava Idli and multi cuisines, as your cooking will be hassle-free. When the ingredients are of good quality, one doesn’t have to worry about the outcome.
1. Sri Bhagyalakshmi Sorted cleaned, Rava/Semolina for best quality and hassle-free cooking and impressive health benefits.
2. On cooking, the Sri Bhagyalakshmi Rava gives out a delicious aroma.
3. State-of-the-art rava processing and milling plant.
4. Standardisation in procuring, processing and packing, leading to superior quality products.
5. Packed in hygienic conditions using automated equipment.
6. Packaged using superior quality bags for better handling, storage and ease of transportation.
7. Contract farming with excellent back-end integration, leading to consistency in quality.
8. Excellent supply chain management to meet market demands.
