Learn how to make soft, melt-in-mouth South Indian rava kesari in a microwave in just 5 minutes. This quick and foolproof sooji halwa recipe is completely lump-free and perfect for sudden guests, pooja neivedyam or a quick sweet craving.
Hi friends, I hope you all had a great new year celebration. I had a wonderful day with morning darshan at a nearby perumal temple for vaikundha ekadesi, breakfast with this rava kesari, lunch at Rajdhani Restaurant and above all I bought my favourite red color Handbag in JP nagar central mall as New year gift. The day went on really well more than I expected but we missed our daughter Raksha as she is in Salem for vacation. Tomorrow we are going there and spend this weekend with my in-laws.
Coming to this recipe, I must thank my friend Sudha for insisting me to try rava kesari recipe using microwave. She gave me a recipe too. I made some modifications and tried it yesterday for New year celebration. We loved it a lot.
I have used oil and ghee after watching Revathy shanmugam mam’s recipe in youtube video and I also referred Mrs.Mallika Badrinath’s Microwave recipes book for the timing and method. I added yellow food color and pineapple essence. So its flavor was very similar to pineapple kesari. But I tell you its not the authentic pineapple kesari version. So you can follow this recipe in my way using pineapple essence or just add cardamom powder with kesari color. It tastes great in either ways!
Try this easy, hassle free microwave rava kesari for poojas, special occasions and for your guests. I am sure it will come out great!
Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens
- Rava Selection: Use fine Bombay sooji or coarse semolina (found in brands like Laxmi, Swad or Deep). If using pre-roasted rava, you can reduce the initial microwave roasting time to 1 minute.
- Microwave Wattage & Deep Bowl: Countertop microwaves in the US and abroad generally operate at 1000W to 1200W. Always use a deep 2.5 to 3-quart microwave-safe glass bowl (like Pyrex or Anchor Hocking) because rava bubbles up vigorously and can easily overflow in smaller shallow bowls.
- Boiling Water Step: Pouring rolling-hot boiling water directly over roasted rava prevents lumps from forming and ensures even grain hydration.
- Ghee & Oil Balance: A small teaspoon of neutral cooking oil (like avocado, canola or sunflower oil) alongside pure desi ghee keeps the kesari soft, glossy and moist even after cooling in cold weather.
Microwave Rava Kesari Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup – 250ml
- ¼ cup Rava / sooji / Bombay rava (approx. 45g / 1.6 oz)
- ½ cup Sugar (approx. 100g / 3.5 oz)
- 1 ½ cups Water (approx. 360 ml / 12 fl oz)
- 1 tbsp Ghee (+ 2 tsp for finishing)
- 1 tbsp Oil (cooking oil)
- 2 pinches Yellow food color
- â…› tsp Pineapple essence or cardamom powder
- a few Cashew nuts (to garnish)
Instructions
- Take a big microwave safe bowl and add oil and ghee. Choose a big bowl because rava will rise well while cooking and it may spill. Add cashews and roast for 2 minutes on high power (800W). Keep an eye after 1 minute; if cashews turn golden brown quickly, remove them. Remove cashews alone and add rava to the oil and ghee mixture. Mix well so that rava is well coated without any lumps.
- Roast the rava on high power for one minute. Open the microwave, mix well and again roast it for a minute. So roasting takes two minutes here. Take care that rava doesn’t get burnt; stand nearby and watch carefully. Remove the rava bowl and keep aside.
- In a separate vessel, heat water on gas stove till it starts to roll boil and add it to the roasted rava. Take care, it splashes. After adding water, add food color. Mix well without lumps.
- Cook the rava for two minutes on high power covering with a lid. After 2 minutes, remove the bowl, mix well, cover with the lid and cook again for one minute. Rava will thicken and get cooked very well.
- Remove the bowl, add sugar and essence or cardamom powder, and mix well without lumps. The mixture will turn watery and small lumps may form. Mix quickly and break the lumps. As you mix, the mixture will thicken slightly due to the heat of the glass bowl and lumps will break.
- Keep it on high power for 30 seconds, remove and mix well. You will see the rava leaving the sides of the bowl. Immediately add 2 tsp of ghee. Mix well and transfer to a plate or bowl. The mixture will be semi-solid initially, but it becomes thick and well-set as it cools down.
- Serve in a bowl by garnishing with roasted cashews. You can also reheat the kesari for one minute on high power before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Timings may differ based on the power of your microwave. If it is more than 800W, the entire process needs lesser time than mentioned, and if the power is less than 700W, time taken may be more.
- Rava has to be cooked well, else kesari turns chewy and hard.
- Adding the right amount of sugar helps to give you soft kesari.
- Adding a little oil along with ghee helps to retain moisture and prevents the kesari from turning hard even after it cools down. Skip it and add ghee alone if you wish.
- Adding pineapple essence is completely optional. You can add cardamom powder or saffron as you wish.
- Using more water than usual helps to make lump-free and perfectly cooked kesari.
Sharing is caring
Try this easy microwave rava kesari and enjoy your day!
Happy new year…. Good you got some gift for yourself… Kesari looks superb
Thanks Amrita :)
looks perfect Chitra.. Lovely color
Thanks dear :)
Easy and perfect!
Perfect sweet for a new year,happy new year chitra
Thanks jayanthi sindhiya.wish u the same 😀
Easy and tempting, just perfect!
Today tried this kesari and came out very well.super easy to make.thanks for sharing the recipe Chitra.
Thank u so much Sudha . I am happy :)
Thank u so much for sharing the recipe,came out very well
Thanks a lot for the feedback :)
Hi Chitra
Quick recipe..i don't have a glass bowl with lid..My glass bowl doesn't have a lid… Any other option???
Hi Padma, Closing with a lid is to ensure proper cooking. No worries, just cook it open. You may need to cook for 30 seconds more. Try this way. Hope it works :)