Ilaichi aur kesar roll (cardamom and saffron roll) is prepared with khoya/mawa. If you remember, I had recently posted the process of preparing instant khoya (Milk powder-based Mawa (Khoya)). I used the same mawa to prepare these irresistible, prettyΒ ilaichi aur kesar roll.Β
The best part about this sweet dish is that it is a no-cook sweet dish. Isn’t that wonderful!!
The other good part about this recipe is that you can change the flavours according to your own choice. If you like pista more than kesar (saffron) or your preference is rose flavour instead of cardamom, then go for it! This recipe is very flexible – go according to your taste buds.
One more reason to like this recipe is that if you are more of a burfi loving person instead of rolls, then just cut khoya in square shapes instead of rolling it. Double flavoured burfi is ready. Anything for you!!
And the last reason for loving this recipe is very simple – the end result is so beautiful and tastes extremely delicious!! Am I exaggerating a lot? Probably, but all of my family and friends loved these Ilaichi and kesar rolls.Β So, I insist you try this sweet dish at home as khoya preparation is also very easy and you can prepare mawa one or two days in advance ( Milk powder based Mawa (Khoya))
There are a few more posts in the blog related to Indian sweets, you can take a look at them also: Indian Traditional Sweets
Ingredients:
400 gm khoya
80 gms powder sugar (divide it equally in two parts)
Saffron, a few strands
Milk 1 tsp
Saffron food colour
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
A few points to remember :
- Khoya should be really stiff. The rolls will not set properly if they have moisture.
- Mash khoya nicely till it is smooth before adding powdered sugar. After adding sugar, khoya will be slightly sticky and it will be difficult to mash khoya to smoothen it out.
- When we add powdered sugar in khoya, it becomes slightly soft. Then, when we add saffron milk on top of it, it turns even softer. So, reduce a little bit of sugar quantity in kesar khoya part. Don’t worry, it will not affect the final taste.
- It doesn’t matter if you don’t have food colour, as it doesn’t affect the taste. Saffron is enough to give a wonderful flavor.
- You have to keep the roll in the fridge to make it firm. If we will be heating khoya and sugar to make it firm, then keeping it in the fridge will not be necessary. But as this is a no-cook recipe, keeping the rolls in the fridge itself will do the job. Firm khoya will be easy to roll initially and later on to get neatly sliced ilaichi aur kesar rolls.
Process:
Soak kesar in hot milk and keep it aside.
Crumble khoya on the clean kitchen counter or in a broad vessel. Rub khoya nicely with your palms till it is smooth and divide it into two equal parts.
Take one part of khoya and again crumble it and add 40 gms sieved powdered sugar(can reduce sugar quantity a little) . By now, kesar milk would be ready and cooled down. Sieve milk also and add in khoya. Don’t throw away kesar strands – keep them in the fridge. We will use them later to garnish rolls.
If you want more saffron colour, add a pinch of kesar food colour. Mix everything nicely and keep this kesar khoya portion separate.
In the same way, prepare another portion of khoya by adding ilaichi powder (cardamom powder) and sieved powdered sugar.
Take butter paper or parchment paper and prepare two separate rolls of khoya. It will be easy to shape khoya in rolls with butter paper/parchment paper . Wrap up both the rolls separately in parchment paper and keep them in the fridge for two hours.
After two hours take out both the rolls from the fridge and spread these rolls on butter paper/parchment paper in a rectangle shape with the help of a rolling pin. If you will fold the parchment paper in a rectangular shape (like a book fold) and then spread khoya with a rolling pin, it will be very easy to get the same sized rectangle shape for both the rolls.
Now open the top portion of parchment paper of both ilaichi and kesar khoya and very carefully flip kesar khoya portion over the ilaichi portion.
Roll it with a rolling pin so that both stick well together.
Remove the parchment paper from the top and with the help of the bottom parchment paper, start rolling it in the shape of a log/roll.
Make a tight log/roll, wrap it in parchment paper/butter paper, and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 hours so that it becomes firm.
When the roll/log is firm, take it out from the fridge, unwrap it, and with a sharp knife slice it into small rolls.
Aren’t they beautiful!! While slicing them, the wonderful flavor of kesar and ilaichi will make you gulp one immediately. No one is looking π, and don’t worry if you find your family standing right behind you. You deserve that first roll after all the preparation process you did all by yourself!!!
If you can save some pieces, garnish ilaichi aur kesar roll with kesar strands.
Saffron and cardamom in one tasty bite? I’m in! π
Join the club Ronit ππ€
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Testy piecesπ Thanks for sharing.
You are most welcome Rosida βΊ
π₯°π₯°
Thank you for another superb recipe .πππππΉπΉTake care.
You are most welcome Francis π
Wow, what a flexible and friendly sweet dish.. totally desi… would go for it π
Thank you very much Deepika.
You are so right…It is pakka desi mithaiπ
Wow mouth watering pictures ππππππ
Thank you very much Samreen ππ
These look so pretty & tempt me to pick one from my screen. π
Thank you so much Megala .
I wish if through some technique this could become realityππ
π
Cardamom AND saffron? You have convinced me! Sounds absolutely delicious! Wonderful photos.
I am glad that we both have same taste buds Lynetteπ
Thank you very muchππ
Irresistible indeed and very pretty π
Thank you so much Ribana ππ
Thanks for sharing this recibe…π·ππ
Recipe*
Anjali, you are most welcomeππ
Wow, wow, wow, they look so appealing, and saffron and cardamom sounds delicious. The trick with the papers I will keep in mind. I thought the khoya was softer than in your photo, I will have to go back to your recipe for that. And of course you are entitled to the first slice!!! Good for you! π
Ha ha ha… thank you so much Stella. You know, before reaching out for the first slice, a few tiny slices were going in after mixing sugar π
Khoya was soft when I prepared it as some I had used in carrot halwa. Later I heated it for a few more minutes to make it firm for these rolls.
Yeah, I know these “tiny” slices … π π
WE two are a team hereππ
The fun team …. π <3
yessss…
I was making crispy muesli in the oven tonight for our breakfast (with joghurt and mango pulp …). It has ato be turned three times, and after each turning, I HAD to take a tiny spoonful to test the texture.
I am sure ratio of mango pulp would have gone here and there a couple of times before mixing only π
cough, cough, ahem … you know me too well already …
β€β€
Sooo tempting, Deeksha! I can get the flavour here!!!π
Thank you so much Indira π I guess Kesar does create that effect βΊοΈ
Deeksha, my mouth has started watering. Wow what a delicious and tempting recipe. Awesome, thank you so much for your wonderful recipe.
You are always welcome Kamal π and thank you so much for your lovely appreciation π β€οΈ
You are always welcome dear Deeksha ππβ₯οΈβ₯οΈ
Wow!!..they look so beautiful. A real treat for the dessert lovers.
Thank you very much for your lovely appreciation π βΊοΈ
Wonderful explanation and mouth-watering pictures of cardamom and saffron roll friend πβ€
Thank you so much dear SunipβΊοΈππ
ooh!! these look delicious! also i actually contacted you from your website online and i was hoping you could help me in a thought that i had. i actually needed some help in wordpress only and please check your email for contact and let me know…. thank you!
Thanks a lot Aarushi βΊοΈ
I will check my mail and come back!
Thank you! Actuallu it was a little important and I did not know who else to ask . So….
No issues at allπ
It looks very delicious!
Sarada, thank you very much π
Living in Kentucky, we are not the most culturally diverse city in the US (slight understatement!! π ) so I cannot locate a local vendor for mawa, and I don’t really like to buy food online. Is “powdered milk” the same thing? That would help a lot if it is. π
Dry milk is not mawa but we can use it for preparing mawa. Dry milk is dry evaporated milk powder which we use for tea coffee also. I am sure you will find it. Preparing mawa from this powder is very easy and it is very tasty alsoβΊοΈ
It’s fantastic!!!ππππ
Many many thanks βΊοΈ
Look amazing and tasty
Thank you very much Tuviπ
Love this flexible recipe and those gorgeous colors of the rolls
Nisha, thank you very much for your lovely appreciationπ
Looks delicious. Thank you for explaining each step.
Thank you very much Padminiπ
“Arenβt they beautiful!! While slicing them, the wonderful flavor of kesar and ilaichi will make you gulp one immediately. No one is looking π, and donβt worry if you find your family standing right behind you. You deserve that first roll after all the preparation process you did all by yourself!!!” So well said, dear Deeksha. Yes, the mithai is beautiful and yes, I will eat the first one all by myself!!!π₯°
Meenal, many many thanks for your lovely appreciationβ€π€π
actually i had another doubt and i emailed you…. so sorry and thank you for your time!!
Wow what a delicious preparation
thank you very much Tina.
Dee, have you ever thought of having your own cooking show? Your recipes are incredible !! Many more in this world would be interested I think to try different food that is not native to their own country.
Amy, you have made my dayππ with your blessings probably one day….
but I have started a small entrepreneurship for healthy baked goodies. Let us see how far it goes.
One step at at time …. that’s smart!!
So pretty!
Many thanks Nora π
This is a wonderful looking sweet. I like the idea that when you have made it you can “gulp one” . I like to do that when I am cooking something sweet.
Thank you very much Anne π
Be careful, before gulping one after the whole preparation, you might keep on munching tiny bits of sweet khoya also. You might need to do slightly extra workout that day π
Oh god, my mouth is watering just looking at it.
Khoya sweets does make us tempt a lotπ
Thank you very much Bhavna.
Agreed
Mouthwatering sweet!Thanks for sharing.
You are always welcome Deepti πβΊοΈ
The elachi kesar roll looks gorgeous. It is very delicious sweet.
Thank you very much Neetha βΊοΈ
Wow…these look delicious β£οΈβ£οΈ
Thank you very much π
loos so yummy
Thank you very much π
Great recipe ma’amππ, the hard work put on it enhances its taste. Very good postπππ»πβππ€
Rolls tasted really good. Kesar, khoya and cardamom did its wonder!
It looks delicious, I am a barfi person so this is my kind of sweet
Thank you very much Bhavna π
This is pretty easy to make. And you are right, no cook recipe is great!! Super easy so that we can eat and make it at the same time. ha!
Thank you very much Oscar.Yes,tasting and preparing at the same time is a lot of funπ