Rava / Sooji Ladoo {Sweet Semolina Balls}

I’ve been on a sweet making kick lately. Not much, but just a few ones every evening this week when the boys get home. I know, I really should have spaced them out for the blog or planned the posts in advance well before Diwali, but what can I say? I am one impulsive woman! Sweet treats are always welcome, right? And hey, do you really need an occasion to make some?

I began my sweet obsessed week by making some quick carrot halwa. I don’t have a recipe up yet, but I did take pictures for my Instagram account. By the way, you should totally check out the fan page at Insta. So, for the halwa, I simply followed my soft carrot barfi recipe and served it in bowls as halwa. If you are interested, you can find the recipe here. I might post it as a proper recipe at a later date.

This was then followed by yesterday’s poha-sabudana kheer recipe. It was a winner. And like I mentioned in my post, the leftovers were amazing. I may or may not have had kheer for breakfast today. Ha! Sorry, I digress.

Moving on, let’s come to today’s menu. It is a much beloved sweet recipe from my childhood – my mom’s rava (sooji) ladoos. She used to simply whip up a batch any time, just like that, for no reason at all. Other than the instant urge to have something sweet, of course. I used to carry containers full of rava ladoos to my college hostel and I would count myself lucky if I got to eat at least one before the hungry girls got their claws,  err… hands on it.

It is really very simple to make, but this is actually my first attempt at  making them. What was I waiting for ? I don’t know. There is something about family recipes, where you feel you just cannot measure up to your mom or grandma’s standards. Do you feel that way?

But it was a very decent try. The ladoos were perfectly sweet, with the right melt-in-the-mouth consistency. Oh, I love them!

RAVA/SOOJI LADOOS {SWEET SEMOLINA BALLS}

You will need: (Makes 12 big or 18 small ladoos)

• Ghee – 3 tbsp
• Fine rava/sooji/semolina – 1 cup
• Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp (or use 2-3 green cardamom pods)
• Milk – a few tablespoons
• Golden raisins, – a small handful (or you can use chopped cashew nuts)

How to:

• Finely grind the sugar and cardamom together and keep aside. Resist the temptation to use commercial powdered sugar, as they contain corn starch and which may affect the outcome of the ladoos.
• In a large skillet, heat the ghee on medium heat. Lightly fry the raisins or cashew nuts and keep aside.
• Add rava, mix well and roast it for 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring constantly so as not to brown the rava. Roast it till it looks like fine sand and you get a nice nutty aroma from the semolina.
• Now add the raisins and sugar-cardamom powder, mix well and roast till well combined. This will take less than a minute. Remove from heat promptly.
• Meanwhile, heat around 1/4 cup milk in a glass in the microwave. The milk need not boil, but should be bearably hot to the touch.
• Sprinkle a little hot milk to a portion of the rava mixture and combine well with your hands. It should not be very wet, but you should be able to easily form tight little ladoo balls with your hand. Work through the rava mixture in batches and set the ladoos on a plate or tray to cool down and firm up slightly.
• Store in an airtight container for a day or two. You may need to refrigerate them after that since they contain dairy.

Notes:

• If you do not have fine rava or sooji, you can try grinding them slightly in a blender before roasting them.
• The ladoo mixture should neither be very wet nor very dry when you begin to roll them. You will get the hang of it once you do  a couple of ladoos. Just remember to start with a little bit of milk, you can always add more if needed.
• Rava ladoos can also be made with all ghee and no milk, thus ensuring a longer shelf life. But obviously, they are more calorific and I personally do not care to work with hot ghee!

Rava ladoos are such a simple Indian sweet, but really very delicious. Now, if only I can figure out some kind of savory snack to try next. What do you say?!

I hope you do try this ladoo recipe and share with friends and family. Happy Diwali again!

Here is one traditional Indian sweet I tried to master last Diwali – Ghee Mysore Pak or Ghee & Chickpea Flour Fudge.

For more festive sweet treats, check out my Desserts page.

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