Ravo | Parsi Semolina Dessert

A very simple Parsi dessert made with semolina and milk…

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For this week’s Blogging Marathon #139 theme of “Select One Cuisine and cook three dishes”, I picked up Parsi cuisine. After the Bun Maska and Kheemo, the final recipe has to be a dessert. It took me a bit of time to decide what to cook. It is interesting to notice that most of the Parsi desserts are more Indian in nature than Persian, but with some use of additional spices. So Parsis have their own version on barfis and vermicelli, among the many other desserts. In fact, I was thinking about making an almond barfi that I had made years ago, when I had started blogging. We all loved it so much and it disappeared as soon as I made them, but the pictures I took were absolutely horrific, so it never made to the blog. I even made sure I had all ingredients in hand. However, at the end, taking into account my adjusted eating habits for weight loss, I decided to go for something simpler and settled for this dessert.

Semolina is a favorite ingredient of mine when it comes to making desserts. So when my eyes fell on this dessert that Parsis call “Ravo”, I had to make it. It is their version of the kesari and is made during all important celebratory occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. Since there is use of milk in this version, it felt very close to the Khabeesa and the Layali Lubnan, which are Arab desserts. I guess I am not surprised by the similarity. I read through a few recipes before making mine. I used a mix of ghee and butter to roast the semolina and hence the flavor was amazing. Usually, nutmeg is used quite extensively in their desserts, but since I didn’t have it in my pantry, I skipped it. The recipe is quite straight forward, but I loved it so much since it was unbelievably creamy. Just like every semolina dessert, it thickens as it sits, but when you add some hot water, it goes back to looking creamy. 😀 Off to this simple recipe…

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5 from 1 vote

Ravo | Parsi Semolina Dessert

Course Desserts

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 15 gm butter refer notes
• 1/2 cup semolina
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt optional
• Roasted nuts for garnishing I used almonds, pistachios and raisins

Instructions

• In a thick bottomed pan, melt ghee and butter.
• Add the semolina and roast till it turns golden. Do it on a low flame so that the semolina doesn't get burned.
• Add the water and sugar and give a mix.
• Once the water is absorbed, add the milk and the flavorings and keep whisking till the mixture thickens and has no lumps.
• Cook for a couple of minutes and switch off.
• Serve hot or cold with some nuts on the top.

Notes

Instead of using a mix of ghee and butter, you can use ghee alone.

Usually, nutmeg is also used as a flavoring, but since I don't have it, I skipped it. 

The nuts used for garnishing are usually almonds and chironji seeds. But you can use whatever is available in your pantry.

Just like every dessert with semolina, it tends to thicken as it sits. Add hot water to loosen and check sweetness. 

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