Rava Ladoo/Sweetened Semolina Coconut Balls

Rava Ladoo was one of my favorite snacks as a child; my grandma would make it for me very often. When I would ask her if she can you me make this sweet for this evening? She will make it without any hesitation. Nowadays even making dosa (famous south Indian crepe/pancake) is difficult for most of friends, two of them who visited me recently said that they don’t have the time to stand and make the pancake. So they make idly (a steamed rice and lentil cake). If you are steaming you don’t need to stand near the stove. Pour the batter and come back and check after 15 minutes. I don’t like idly, given a choice I will always go for dosa, which my mom and grandma made more often. I never saw them complaining about making dosa being as a very difficult task. They would serve the dosas as soon as it is removed from the skillet with some coconut chutney or Sambhar. 

The rava ladoo is sweetened semolina balls that you can make in less than 15 minutes. It is one of the sweets made all over India. My mother-in-law makes it whenever we visit her. Her domestic help Sulekha makes it wonderfully. They are famous during Ganesh festival in Maharashtra. It has been a long time I made any sweet, and today after his lunch my hubby asked me if we had any sweets that I can take to office for munching. I told him okay I will make some rava ladoo, which is his favorite too. 

It is easy to put together; fry coconut, cashew nuts, raisins and semolina in ghee or clarified butter and then mixes it with sugar and add a little bit of milk to form balls. If you want more shelf life you have to make them with water. Normally we don’t worry about shelf life as it would be gone within a day. While I was making the balls my little was enjoying in between so it is approved by her. I used only ¾ cup of sugar for 1 cup of semolina, if you want more sweet taste you can try with 1: 1 ratio of sugar and semolina. Here goes the recipe. 

One year ago: Pani Puri
Print recipe from here

What you need

Semolina/Rava: 1 cup
Granulated Sugar: ¾ cup
Desiccated coconut: ½ cup
Raisins: 20 no
Cashew nuts: 10 no
Cloves: 3 no
Cardamom: 3 no
Ghee/Clarified butter: 2 ½ tablespoon
Warm Milk: 1/5 cup (microwave the milk for about 20 sec at high)
Water: 1 tablespoon


How I made

Heat 1 tablespoon Ghee/Clarified butter in medium skillet and add cashew nuts and fry for minute or until the cashew nuts starts to brown slightly. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan add raisins and when raisins starts plum up remove that one from the fire and set aside. 

In the same pan add coconut and fry for 30 seconds or until it become slightly brown color and set aside. 

In another pan heat rest of ghee and add semolina or rava and fry for 4 minutes or until semolina get roasted and raw smell is removed. Switch off the fire and add sugar and mix everything and set aside for cool for about 3 minutes. 

In mean time in a blender or food processor slightly pulse roasted coconut and semolina sugar mixture and transfer to a medium bowl. Add crushed cardamom and cloves into the mixtures of semolina-coconut –sugar mixture and mix once again to combine well. Gradually add warm milk and make ball out of the mixture, if you patient enough keep each ball with a cashew and raisin each. I lost my patience after making two balls mixed entire cashew nuts and raisins along the mixture and formed the ball. 

Enjoy as much you wish.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 15 no
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again: Yes I will

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