A unique variation of Kesari is made with poha (flattened rice) and is especially prepared during the Indian festival of Janmashtami (also known as Gokulashtami or Krishna Jayanthi), celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. This vegan dessert recipe goes by many names—Aval Kesari, Poha Sheera, Poha Kesari, or Poha Pudding. I love making it this way because it’s how my mother-in-law prepares it, and I believe it’s one of the simplest and most delicious versions. This popular South Indian vegan pudding comes together very quickly. Unless you’re told, you’d never guess that this delightful dessert is made with beaten rice (poha). Sweetener - I make it using regular white sugar. But you can use any sweetener of your choice like jaggery, brown sugar, cane sugar, etc in this Kesari recipe. Milk - Use plain unsweetened almond/oats/cashew milk for this recipe. You can also skip adding milk altogether and cook this in just water. Other basic ingredients are orange food color (optional), sliced almonds, saffron strands, vegan ghee, or any neutral vegetable oil. You can also add cardamom powder. Use a good quality non-stick pan to make this dessert because it will stick to the bottom of the pan when cooking.
If you’re preparing this pudding for Gokulashtami, serve it alongside Curd Rice and Thattai. Another serving option is to grease a plate with ghee, spread the Kesari on it, and once it cools, cut it into your desired shapes before serving.
