• Heat milk into a thick-bottomed pot or pan.
• Add sugar and mix well.
• Add saffron strands and optional food color. Stir well.
• On medium-low heat, let milk comes to a boil. Stir the milk occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
• While milk is getting heated, take ghee in another pan.
• Heat ghee on low-medium heat and add cashews.
• Fry the cashews on low-medium heat until they are golden brown. Remove the cashews from the pan and set them aside.
• Now to the same pan with ghee, add Rava or Sooji and mix well.
• Roast the Rava on low-medium heat, often stirring, until it is aromatic.
• Roasting of Rava will take about 8-10 minutes. When Rava is well roasted, it will become lighter and shiny. It is essential to stir the Rava often while it is roasting to prevent it from browning.
• By the time you finish roasting the Rava, milk should have been started boiling.
• Carefully, pour boiling milk into the roasted Rava.
• After pouring milk, stir the mixture quickly and continuously to prevent lump formation.
• Soon Rava will start absorbing the milk and will get thicker, stir the mixture continuously. At this point, you can taste Milk Rava Kesari and add more sugar if you need to.
• Once Rava absorbs all milk and becomes thick, add fried cashews and cardamom powder. Reserve some cashews for garnishing if you want.
• Mix well and let Milk Kesari simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and transfer Milk Rava Kesari in a serving bowl and garnish with more cashews and saffron strands if you prefer.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve Milk Rava Kesari hot or warm. You can also serve it at room temperature if you want.
• This dessert tastes delicious on its own and does not need any accompaniment.
• Serve Milk Kesari with lunch or dinner and convert your regular meal into a festive meal.
• You can have this dessert for your weekend breakfast or brunch with family.

Storing Suggestions

• Store the leftover Milk Kesari in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• Reheat the dessert in the microwave. Or reheat in a pan over low heat.