Pineapple Kesari, a recipe from Southern India

Adapted from https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pineapple-kesari-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-136807

"Pineapple Kesari also known as Pineapple Sheera or Pineapple Halwa is a delicious, melt in the mouth sweet made with rava or suji (semolina or cream of wheat), fresh pineapple, sugar, ghee and nuts" the website.

Ingredients:

½ cup rava finer variety and unroasted, (sooji or cream of wheat) - 120 grams; ½ cup sugar or add as required; 1.5 cups water; 4 tablespoons Ghee; 12 to 15 cashews; 1 tablespoon raisins; ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder or 2 to 3 green cardamoms crushed in a mortar-pestle; ¾ cup chopped pineapple or 3 to 4 pineapple slices cut in ½ inch cubes; 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped pineapple - for garnish, optional; 1 to 2 drops natural yellow food color or 10 to 12 strands of saffron, optional; 1 to 2 drops pineapple essence - optional

Instructions:

Cooking pineapple with water - First chop the pineapple in small cubes and set aside. In a pan or saucepan, take the chopped pineapple cubes, 1.5 cups water and ½ cup sugar. Add one or two drops of the natural yellow colour extract. You can also add about 10 to 12 strands of saffron to get a yellow colour. You can also add pineapple essence for a dominant pineapple flavour. Stir well and keep this pan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. While simmering, do stir so that the sugar dissolves.

Roasting rava - Meanwhile, in another pan or kadai take 4 tablespoons ghee and heat it on a low flame. Let the ghee melt. Add 12 to 15 cashews. Stir and add rava (sooji). Mix very well. Then add ¼ teaspoon  green cardamom powder and stir to mix. Stir often and roast the rava till the cashews turn a light golden and you see ghee releasing from the sides. The colour of the rava will also change. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. Keep on stirring, so the rava does not get browned.

By this time, the pineapple + water mixture would also begin to boil.

Making pineapple kesari - Pour the hot pineapple and water mixture to the pan with the roasted sooji. Stir quickly and briskly so that lumps are not formed.

Simmer on a low heat and allow the sooji to absorb the water. Add raisins. Mix again. In just about 4 minutes, the rava will soften up and the pineapple halwa is done. You should not see any creamish specks on the kesari. This means that the rava has not cooked properly.

Serve pineapple kesari hot as it is or garnished with some pineapple cubes.

Notes:                                                                                                                                          Make sure to use pineapple which are sweet tasting.                                                                    The recipe can be halved or doubled.                                                                                            You can also use tinned pineapple slices. But while using tinned pineapple slices, no need to boil them in water. Just add them directly when you add the hot bubbling sugar syrup to the roasted rava.