Semolina Pudding with Roasted Cashew Nuts

Every now and then I like to take a traditional dish and update it. This pudding reminds me of my childhood when our Nona makes them for us for tea in the weekends with nuts, raisins, saffron and cardamon. I loved her version and now have created a variation of this express dessert dish without losing its traditional appeal that I loved so much in the first place. Hope you'll like it too.

Semolina Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 cups semolina
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 125grams butter
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter
• 6 to 8 pods of cardamon (crushed) 
• few strands of saffron (or 1/2 teaspoon safron powder)
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 tablespoon raisins

Directions

• In a bowl mix milk, coconut cream, water, sugar and safron. Let everything dissolve and set aside.
• Place a big pot(or pan) on the stove (on medium to low fire) and melt the clarified butter.
• Add about 2 tablespoon of the cashew and raisins to the clarified butter and let it brown. 
• Once cashew starts to brown add the cardamon and the butter.
• Once butter melted, add the semolina and stir.   
• Keep stiring until you can smell the fragrance of the semolina sligthly browning in the butter(at this point the semolina is well coated in butter and has abosrbed the butter).
• Next, add the liquid mix prepared in step one and keep stiring to avoid lumps.
• Keep stiring until the mix comes off of the pan (sort of rolls off from the the pan and does not stick to the sides of the pan).
• At this point take the pudding of heat and spread it in a tray. Use a metal spoon to smooth the top evenly.
• Cool it and garnish with cashew nut roasted in salt.

Takes about 25 minutes for me to prepare and takes me back each time to a beautiful place that I come from. In addition, I can always prepare this dessert one day in advance for brunch or dinner parties. Try it.

Happy Cooking!