Rava Ladoo: Make A Moist and Easy Sweet Treat

Rava Ladoo: Make A Moist and Easy Sweet Treat

Roast Rava in Butter/Ghee till aromatic and reddish-gold; add almond flour and raisins and set aside. Make sugar syrup, add grated coconut and simmer. Add hot syrup to roasted Rava mixture. Stir and set aside to cool, Add cardamom and nutmeg and knead gently. Pick up a fistful of the lukewarm mixture and shape into small balls. Serve as a snack with tea/coffee, or as dessert. Enjoy!

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Resting time to allow mixture to cool 1

Total Time 1 40

Course Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian

Servings people

Calories 130 kcal

Equipment

Heavy bottom medium (10 inch/25 cm) stainless steel frying pan/skillet a cast iron skillet is OK too; Note: Please do NOT use a non stick pan for roasting Rava - it will damage the non-stick coating
Heavy bottom saucepan for making syrup stainless steel or non-stick-coated
Sturdy spoon / spatula /turner - preferably made of wood/bamboo for roasting the Rava and also for stirring the thick Ladoo mixture as it cools
Coconut grater tool if using fresh, in-shell coconut; don't need if using pre-grated coconut

Ingredients

1 cup Rava - medium coarse (do not use Fine-textured Rava!) also called Sooji, Suji, Semolina, Cream of Wheat, Farina, etc.; Note: do not use Fine Rava in this recipe: the proportions of listed ingredients will not work correctly
2 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter) or Unsalted Butter to make it vegan, check Recipe Notes.
2 tbsp Almond flour / Almond meal (optional) To make it nut-free, check Recipe Notes
2 tbsp Raisins
1/2 tsp Green Cardamom - freshly peeled and ground preferred
1/4 tsp Nutmeg - freshly ground preferred

For Making Syrup

2/3 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Water divided: 1/4 cup + 1/2 cup
1/4 cup Fresh Coconut: grated (not shredded) previously frozen and thawed OK; if fresh coconut is not available, use 1/4 cup dried coconut powder - it's finely grated and its not the same as coconut flour!); to make a nut-free version, check Recipe Notes

Instructions

Roast the Rava (Sooji)

Place 1 cup Rava and 1 tbsp unsalted butter (or Ghee) in a heavy bottom frying pan/skillet. Roast on medium-high heat, stirring with a sturdy wooden spoon/spatula, until it starts to brown a bit and becomes aromatic.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp unsalted butter (or Ghee).
Stir and continue to roast on medium heat until it begins to takes on a distinct reddish-brown hue.
Decrease the heat to low and stir continuously till it is evenly roasted to the reddish-golden brown color. Do not let it burn!

Make the Syrup with dried or fresh coconut: see the pics below for both methods

Place 2/3 cup sugar in a medium ( 2 qt / L), heavy-bottom saucepan.
Add 1/4 cup water.
Add 1/4 cup coconut: follow one of the methods described below.
If using dried coconut powder:
Add 1/4 cup of dried coconut powder, which is actually finely grated dried coconut.
Note: It's NOT the same as coconut flour!
If using fresh grated coconut:
If using previously frozen grated coconut, allow it to thaw to room temperature before adding to syrup. You can do this quite quickly by microwaving it for 30-40 seconds in a microwave-safe glass/ceramic bowl.
Add 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut to syrup
Simmer to allow coconut to absorb syrup and become 'candied' - the pic here shows dried coconut simmered with syrup.
The pic here shows fresh coconut simmered with syrup.

Making the Ladoo Mixture

Add 2 tbsp almond flour (optional) and 2 tbsp raisins to the roasted Rava. If raisins are clumped together, gently separate them. Stir to mix.
Note: If not using almond flour, see note regarding syrup in the next step
Add 1/2 cup boiling hot water to the (candied coconut) syrup; bring the diluted syrup back to a boil, then simmer for 1 minute on low-medium heat, and quickly pour over the roasted Rava mixture.
Note:
If you're NOT using almond flour, you will need to decrease the amount of water used to dilute the syrup: instead of 1/2 cup boiling water, use only 6 tbsp boiling hot water
Otherwise, your mixture will become too 'wet' and you will not be able to shape it into Ladoos.
Mix the syrup with a sturdy wooden spoon/spatula. At first it looks like a wet batter, but it quickly begins to thicken and swell as the Rava starts to absorb the syrup. Keep stirring for about 1-2 min - almost all the liquid will be absorbed by then.
Cover partially and allow to slowly cool till lukewarm - it will take about 1 hour.
Note:
Stir the mixture thoroughly a few times while it is cooling, otherwise the sugar from the syrup starts to crystallize on the surface of the mixture, and the whole thing turns into a hard, crusty solid. This is difficult to work with when trying to make the Ladoos. Stirring the mixture with a sturdy spatula while it cools prevents it from getting crusty, and keeps it soft and pliable.
Pic shows the cooled Ladoo mixture - it looks pretty dry, but it's still soft and pliable. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powders and stir to mix evenly.

Making the Ladoos

Knead the mixture gently with your hands to get a feel for it, then pick up a small portion of the mixture into your hand - about 2 1/2-3 tbsp portion
Close your fist and squeeze gently.
Release your fist to see if the mixture holds together. If not, try squeezing again. the gentle pressure you apply helps the mixture bind to itself and be released from your hands when you open your fist.
Turn the rough ball in your palm, while continuing to squeeze gently, till it becomes smooth and round.
Use a spatula (or the blunt end of a butter knife) to gently scrape off any sticky material stuck to your palms and fingers.
Repeat until the Ladoo holds together well from all sides, especially near the raisins- if it looks like it might fall apart, press it together again
Place on a serving plate and repeat with the rest of the mixture: you should get 12-14 Ladoos, - about 1 - 1/1/4 inches (2 1/2 - 3 1/4 cm) in diameter.
Cover and set aside the Ladoos overnight, to allow the flavors ad textures to blend and soften.
Serve as a teatime snack or as dessert.
Enjoy!

Notes

Don't have Almond flour / Almond meal?

No worries... You can simply pulse-grind about 2 tbsp almonds in a coffee grinder to a slightly coarse powder:

Pulse-grinding - 2-3 seconds at a time - prevents it from becoming a sticky, greasy glob!
- Blanched and skinless almonds will yield a whitish powder
- Almonds with skin will yield a speckled brownish powder (Almond meal): its color resembles the roasted Rava

Want to make nut-free Ladoos?

Swap out the almond flour with pulse-ground hemp seeds or shelled melon seeds / Magaz seeds
If you cannot have coconut, substitute with one of the following options
- 1/4 cup Khoa / Khavaa / Mawa (milk that has been evaporated till it becomes 'solid')
  - crumble it before measuring (1/4 cup)
  - add to the already roasted Rava and continue to roast for another 2-3 minutes, then set aside to cool.
  - Add ground hemp/melon seeds and raisins and stir.
  - Reduce the amount of water used to make sugar syrup
    - Heat 2/3 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water, stir till it dissolves, simmer for 2-3 min, then add 1/4 cup of boiling hot water.
    - Bring syrup to a boil again, simmer for about 1 min and pour on the roasted Rava-Khoa mixture.
    - Continue as directed in the recipe.

Want to make vegan Ladoos?

Swap out the 2 tbsp Butter/Ghee and use 2 tbsp high quality virgin coconut oil instead (or use almond oil)
Add extra flavoring to compensate for the lack of Butter/Ghee flavor
- green cardamom powder: use 1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp.
- a few strands of saffron - crumble it between your fingers before adding to the roasted Rava mixture.

How to store Rava Ladoo

Transfer to a a lidded container. Because of the fresh coconut and moisture content in these Ladoos, they can spoil relatively easily.

Store at room temp:

Consume within 3-4 days
- If the weather is hot and humid, plan to use within 2-3 days, or store in the refrigerator a few hours after making.
- Inspect carefully before eating from the 3rd day onwards: Discard if you see signs of mold growth.

Store in the refrigerator:

Good for 10-12 days, possibly longer, up to 15 -20 days

Store in freezer:

Good for up to 3 months, possibly longer

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 54mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Keyword almond flour, Almond meal, Cream of Wheat, Farina, Grated Coconut, Indian dessert, Indian sweets, Laadoo, laddoo, ladoo, Maharashrian sweet, Raisins, Rava Ladoo, semolina, Sooji Ladoo, Suji, Suji Ladoo

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