Fruit Kesari - Blueberry Kesari

I was craving for some mangoes a couple of weeks ago..this single wish/thought was driving me insane--  I wish I could sink my teeth into a plump juicy perfect mango-- My dad "telepathically" got the message. So when my sister and b-i-l came for a visit he sent 2 cartons of them from New Jersey's Indian stores. Now, that is Parental Love -- Greatest,boundless,all-encompassing, understanding and unconditional love.

So for the next ten days or so I had yet another awesome reason to look forward to in the evenings -- the simple joy of unwinding my day with a mango.I was on a mango high. LoL. I had plans for the last remaining two to be churned into a Mango Kesari for a few friends who were coming for a visit. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

You see, I am not the only mango lover in the house. My 4-yr old screamed and screeched for them and his dad emptied the carton. At the last minute I had to change plans and make do with blueberries. Initially was petrified to try cause blue food isn't everyone's favorite food. So with lots of doubts, concerns and worries tried Harini(Of Tamalapaku's) Mango Kesari with blueberries instead. That is how the "Blueberry Kesari" came to be. 

Before I go with the recipe here is a round-up of BM#19:
Week1: 

• Day1: Pressure Cooker Coconut-Chicken Curry
• Day2: Spiced Flaxseed-Oatmeal With Plum Strawberry Compote
• Day3: Cracked Wheat Upma with Oven-Roasted Veggies

Week2:

• Day1: Coconut-Walnut Chutney
• Day2: Ragi and Cracked Wheat Idli
• Day3: Blueberry Kesari

Now on to the recipe-

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Sooji/Rava/Semolina
• 1 Cup Skimmed Milk
• 1/2 Water
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar or more/less
• 1 Heaped Cup Fresh Blueberries
• 1/2 Tsp Cardamom Powder or 4-5 Cardamom pods (Crushed to a powder using mortar and pestle)
• 4 + 1 Tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter
• 1/4 Cup Cashews, halved
• 1/8 Cup Golden Raisins

Procedure:

• Blend the Blueberries into a smooth or coarse paste.Personally, I prefer the smooth texture.

• Saute the Cashews in 1 Tbsp of Ghee. Add the raisins and lightly fry them along with cashews.

• In a larger skillet, melt 3 Tbsp Ghee and fry the Sooji until it loses the raw smell. This needs to happen in a medium flame. Else the semolina will turn brown.

• Add the milk and water to the semolina and stir to avoid any clumps. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

• Add the Sugar, cardamom and blueberry pulp to the pan. The mixture will liquefy and re-thicken.

• Once it turns sticky and starts leaving the edges of a pan,switch off the stove. Garnish with nuts.

• If desired, shape it to small bite-size pieces using mini ice-cream scoop.

Other Kesari:

• Chocolate-Strawberry Kesari
• Mixed Fruit Kesari
• Pineapple Kesari

Enjoy!
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 19