Dear reader,
I hope that you’ve been well. You might have been waiting for an invite to our monthly cooking class this month, and I apologise for keeping you waiting.
Last month I asked you all for feedback on how I could make the classes work for you so that more of you saw value from them. Almost all of you shared that attending a live class was hard due to time zone differences. You shared that a recorded version may be of more value so that you’re able to look at it and replay it when you’re actually in the kitchen, ready to give the dish a try.
So this month, that’s what I’ve done. And we’re learning a sweet breakfast, Rava Kheer.
What is Rava Kheer?
Rava Kheer - or Ravo as we Parsis call it - is a dish synonymous with happy occasions.
In my home, we make it traditionally for birthdays, weddings, thanksgiving-esque occasions.
The first time I made Rava Kheer was for my husband for our first wedding anniversary. On the day, I woke up early, had a shower and looked up how to make Ravo from an old Katy Dalal Parsi cookbook. The quantities in there gave me a fright until I realised that the recipe in the book was for 50! To avoid giving the MIL and the maid who used to wash our dishes the shock of their lives, I sat down with a calculator and adapted the recipe.
I love eating Rava Kheer so much that since then, I’ve simplified the recipe so that I can make it on the regular. In the class below, I’ve shared my simple recipe though I’ve also included some tips on how to make it for a more special occasion too.
Rava Kheer - for four
150 gm coarse semolina (use fine semolina if you prefer a smoother texture)
400 ml milk
150 gm sugar
2-3 tbsp ghee
1 pinch nutmeg powder
1 pinch cardamom powder
1/2ish cup water
50-80 gms sliced cashews
Optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or essence
In a saucepan, warm up the ghee. Add in the cashews and shallow fry them until they are toasty golden. Strain and set aside.
Add a little bit more ghee and add in the semolina. Immediately, all the ghee will be soaked up, that is okay. Allow the semolina to roast until it is slightly toasted. Mix in the sugar and toast for another minute or two.
In a slow and steady stream, add in the milk. Make sure you’re stirring continuously so that there are no clumps. You might like to use a whisk to do this, up to you.
Lower the flame and add in the water. Allow the semolina to cook for 4 - 5 minutes until it is cooked through and the mixture gets to a thick pudding-like consistency.
Mix in the nutmeg powder, cardamom powder and vanilla if you decide to add that.
Add in your fried cashews. Mix well.
Serve hot in individual bowls.
P.S. This was my first time recording, and the class came to 26 minutes! I speeded up my talking to 1.2x to make it snappier. Lots of learning from this first one, and I’ll do better next time!
How to increase extravagance for special occasions:
Don’t stop at cashews. Fry up slivered almonds too and use those for a garnish.
You can also garnish the Rava Kheer with pistachios or rose petals, it depends how much you love the people you’re cooking for.
Mix in some condensed milk along with the milk to make it creamier
Use the correct kind of sugar - fine , white sugar - instead of whatever you have lying around like I did.
More ghee, because, why not!?