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Rava ladoo
Semolina and coconut sweet balls
रवा लाडू: semolina and coconut toasted in ghee, bound with one-string syrup and dotted with ghee-fried cashews and raisins
Ask a Maharashtrian or South Indian family which Diwali sweet goes first and rava ladoo is a strong answer. It needs no khoya and no special flour, just semolina toasted gently in ghee with coconut until it smells biscuity, then soaked with a hot cardamom sugar syrup. After a short rest the rava drinks up the syrup and can be rolled into soft, slightly grainy balls that firm up as they cool, studded with golden cashews and plump raisins. In Mumbai they sit in the faral platter next to chakli and karanji; in Tamil homes they are a quick Deepavali or Krishna Jayanthi offering. They keep for about a week, less if you use fresh coconut. Chef's tip: shape them while the mixture is still warm; if it cools and crumbles, sprinkle over a tablespoon of warm milk and it will bind again.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 14
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz ghee
- 15 cashewshalved
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut
For the syrup
- 6 ½ oz sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
If needed
- 1 tbsp warm milk (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 2: Add the rest of the 1 ⅝ oz ghee and 7 oz fine semolina (bombay rava) and roast on a low heat, stirring all the time, for 8–10 minutes until it smells toasty and looks a shade darker but not brown.
10 minStep 3: Add 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut and roast for 2 more minutes, then turn off the heat.
2 minStep 4: Meanwhile, boil 6 ½ oz sugar and ½ cup water in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5–6 minutes to one-string syrup: a drop pressed between thumb and finger pulls into a single thread. Stir in ½ tsp ground green cardamom. Common mistake: cooking it past one string; the ladoos set rock-hard or refuse to bind.
7 minStep 5: Pour the hot syrup into the rava, add the cashews and raisins and mix well. Cover and leave for 10 minutes so the rava absorbs the syrup.
10 minStep 6: While still warm, take a lemon-sized portion and press it firmly into a ball. If it cracks, work in a little 1 tbsp warm milk. Makes about 14; they firm up as they cool. Store airtight for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rava ladoo take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Diwali