Happy New Year & a sweet recipe

Sajjige
Namaste, welcome to my blog. I am starting my posts with a very well known and easy sweet from my home - Sajjige. This is also called Shira in parts of India and is a lesser time consuming cousin of Kesaribhath :-)

What do you need to make Sajjige?
1 cup Rava/soji/cream of wheat (I used Bombay/chiroti rava today but can be made with Upma Rava)
1 cup sugar (reduce or increase as you wish)
1 ripe banana - chopped into small pieces
2 tsp of ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup milk (I have used skim milk)
1/2 cup water
2 pinches of cardamom powder

How do you make Sajjige?

1. Dry roast Rava in a pan until it is golden brown on medium heat with frequent stirring
2. Once Rava is fried, turn the heat to low and pour milk and water into the pan with constant stirring to avoid lumps
3. Add 1 tsp of ghee, cover & cook for 5 mins on medium heat
4. When the rava is cooked and liquid absorbed, add sugar and chopped banana pieces
5. Add the remaining tsp of ghee, mix well, cover & cook for another 5 minutes
6. As soon as you add sugar, the consistency becomes thin and after 5 minutes of cooking, the watery mixture becomes soft and starts leaving the sides of the pan when you mix it. 
7. Add the cardamom powder
8. At this stage, you turn off the stove and let it stand for 5 minutes. 

How do you serve Sajjige?

Variations:

1. Skip banana if you are not a fan but it definitely enhances the taste
2. Add cashews and raisins fried in ghee

Tips:

1. Use a heavy bottom pan so the Sajjige cooks well and doesn't stick to the bottom