This Lemon Kesari (also called Lemon Sheera) is a citrusy, golden sweet made with roasted rava, ghee, and candied lemon peel—reviving fruit kesari the natural way.
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Eid sweet, also known by search terms like Ramadan dessert, Muslim wedding kheer, and pineapple milk rice, takes many forms across regions. But among Tamil Muslims — especially in towns like Ambur, Tirupattur, and Vaniyambadi — it often appears as a comforting, golden-hued bowl of Murtanjan Kheer.
This revival-style recipe — with seeraga samba rice, milk, ghee, cardamom, and candied pineapple — was first documented and published online by Sandhya Riyaz, creator of Sandyathome.com. If you see this dish online elsewhere, you now know where it began.
Personal Note
This dish is close to my heart. My husband loves it — and in every wedding or festive meal we’ve attended in Tirupattur, this gentle, mildly sweet rice kheer appears without fail after biryani. I learned to make it from the family cooks back home, and every time I prepare it, it feels like bringing a piece of that tradition into our everyday kitchen.
Known as Muthanjan or Murtanjan Kheer, this dish shares its roots with the Mughal zarda but carries its own Tamil-Muslim identity. It’s made with seeraga samba, simmered in milk and ghee, perfumed with cardamom, and topped with roasted cashews, almonds, and candied pineapple. Not too sweet, not too soupy — just soft, warm, and deeply nostalgic.
This dish, though rarely written about, lives in memories — passed down from kitchen to kitchen in handwritten recipes, wedding caterer notes, and the whispers of “you must taste the murtanjan before you leave.”
It’s not a common Google search — yet. But it’s a recipe worth remembering.
Jump to Recipe| Ingredient | Role in Recipe |
|---|---|
| Seeraga samba rice | Base grain that becomes soft yet textured — uniquely Tamil in character |
| Full-fat milk | Creamy cooking liquid that enriches the rice without overpowering it |
| Water | Used to soften rice before milk is added |
| Ghee | Adds rich aroma and depth, used for both rice and roasting garnish |
| Sugar | Mild, balanced sweetness — this is not a dessert payasam |
| Cardamom powder | Traditional spice for warmth and fragrance |
| Saffron strands | Adds golden hue and gentle royal flavor |
| Candied pineapple | Revival twist — chewy bits that surprise and delight |
| Cashews (broken) | Roasted in ghee for crunch and richness |
| Almonds (sliced) | Light textural contrast and nutty aroma |
| Rose or kewra water | Floral lift, especially for wedding-style servings |
| Salt (a tiny pinch) | Balances sweetness and deepens flavors |
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No — Murtanjan Kheer is a South Indian Tamil Muslim version made with seeraga samba and no vermicelli. Zarda uses basmati, and sheer khurma is a vermicelli-based Eid dessert.
Yes, refrigerate after cooling. Reheat with a splash of milk. Add nuts just before serving.
Yes. In Ambur and Tirupattur weddings, this is the post-biryani kheer – mild, fragrant, and soulful.
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