Pineapple Thinai Kesari / Pineapple Foxtail Millet Kesari

Today is first day of Aadi month and is celebrated with a sweet, special food items. Here is a delicious and a almost guilt free sweet which has no processed ingredients. We would have heard about rava kesari and also flavored ones like mango kesari, pineapple kesari etc. Today I added a little more extra twist by including healthy items and excluding the unhealthy ones. So here are my changes – ravai to thinai ravai, sugar to panam kalkandu and have reduced the ghee a big extent. It was very tasty and delicious. I have also not added pineapple essence or food color. That is optional. This kesari with thinai is so perfect to start this week’s marathon with the theme as millets!!

Ingredients

Pineapple Chunks - 2/3 cup
Thinai / Foxtail Millet Ravai - 1/2 cup
Warm Water - 1 1/2 cups - 2 cups
Saffron - A pinch
Ghee - 3 table spoons
Cashew - 5 - 7
Raisins - 5 - 7
Panam Kalkandu / Palm Sugar Crystals - 3/4 cup

Method

Heat a table spoon of ghee and sauté the cashew until golden. Add the raisins and sauté for 15 more seconds. Remove them and set aside
In the same pan, sauté the thinai ravai until it slightly changes color. Not much though.
Remove the ravai to a plate
In the same pan, add 1 1/2 cups water, pineapple chunks and bring it to boil.
Boil for 5 minutes, until the pineapple are soft. Add 1/2 more cup of water and bring it to boil
When it comes to boil, add the roasted ravai and stir continuously with the other hand to avoid lumps.
If the ravai was roasted well, then lumps will not come.. Even if it comes, it will be easy to break it down.
Reduce the flame to low and cook until the ravai absorbs a lot of the moisture.
Add panam kalkandu and mix well.
The mixture will become watery again with the addition of sweet
Add a table spoon of ghee and mix well
Cook until all the moisture is absorbed again and the kesari starts to leave the sides of the pan
Add another table spoon of ghee and remove when the kesari no longer sticks to the pan
Garnish with the cashews and raisins and saffron.
Serve warm!!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 42