Pineapple Semolina Pudding

This is a fruity version of the traditional Semolina pudding or the Rava Kesari that is very popular dessert of South India. The sugar content can be adjusted as the addition of pineapple makes it sweet by itself. This can also be prepared by adding the low calorie sweetner (Splenda or Stevia)

Ingredients:
1 cup fine semolina(fine sooji)
1 cup sugar
1 tin chopped pineapple or about 1 cup of fresh pineapple pieces
2 1/2 to 3 cups of water + about 1 cup of water as needed
1/2 cup pure ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup raisins + Raw Cashews
1 pinch of Saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk
1 pinch of food colour (orange or egg yellow)- dissolved in a little water
1 tea spoon ground cardamom.

Method: Dry roast the semolina on low flame, taking care not to burn. (The colour should not change to brown) Set aside for it to cool.
Boil the water in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add 1 tablespoon of the ghee to the water itself and set aside the remaining ghee. Boil the remaining 1 cup water separately and keep it ready for later use
Slowly add the sooji and keep stirring making sure that there are no lumps formed. Keep the heat at a low- this helps to control the splatter and prevent scalding.
close a lid and allow this to cook. If you think the consistency of the pudding is too dry, keep adding the reserved hot water and mix it thoroughly. This may not take too long to cook. Make sure this does not get burnt.
Add the sugar, pineapple and the juice from the can, the food colour.Mix it well.
In a pan, heat the remaining ghee and roast the cashews until golden brown. Add the raisins and fry for less than a minute or until they are plump add this to the pudding and mix it well. Add the ground cardamom and the saffron soaked in milk.
Now the pudding is ready to serve.

Note: The sugar can be adjusted to taste. For 1 cup of regular sugar, substitute it with 1/2 cup of sweetner
Always add hot water to the mixture. This prevents in forming lumps
Never add the food colour directly as it will not get distributed evenly. Always dissolve a little in water and then add it to the mixture. To be on a safer side, this can also be added in the beginning to the boiling water itself
1/2 spoon of pineapple essence can also be added to make it very fruity