Photo: Suyash.dwivedi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maharashtra · Dessert

Rava Ladoo

Quick, nutty ladoos made from dry-roasted semolina, coconut, sugar and ghee — requiring no cooking once the rava is roasted, held together by warm ghee rather than syrup. Maharashtra's fastest festival sweet, made in under 30 minutes, with a pleasantly crumbly, melt-in-mouth texture that is distinctly different from the dense besan ladoo.

🧺 Ingredients

• 2 cups (360 g) fine semolina (rava / sooji)
• ½ cup (45 g) dry desiccated coconut (khobra), grated
• ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup (75 g) ghee (melted, warm — not cold)
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp cashews, finely chopped and lightly fried in ghee
• 2 tbsp raisins, fried until plump
• 3 tbsp warm milk (to bind, if needed)
• If ladoos fall apart, add 1 tsp more warm milk and reshape

👩‍🍳 How to make Rava Ladoo

1. Heat a heavy pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add semolina.
3. Roast, stirring continuously, for 8–10 minutes until the rava turns pale golden and smells nutty.
4. Add dry coconut.
5. Continue roasting for 3–4 minutes until coconut is lightly golden.
6. Remove from heat, spread on a plate.
7. Cool to room temperature (very important — hot rava melts the powdered sugar).
8. In a large bowl, combine cooled roasted rava-coconut mixture, powdered sugar and cardamom.
9. Mix well with a spoon.
10. Add fried cashews and raisins.
11. Pour warm ghee over the mixture.
12. Mix with your hands (the warmth of your hands helps).
13. The mixture should come together when pressed firmly in your fist.
14. If it's too dry, add warm milk 1 tbsp at a time — just enough to bind. *Do not add too much milk — rava ladoos should be crumbly, not dense.*
15. Working quickly while the ghee is still warm, pinch 2 tbsp of mixture.
16. Press firmly between both palms, rolling to form a round ball.
17. Apply considerable pressure — rava ladoos need more pressing than besan ladoos.
18. Place on a plate.
19. Repeat.
20. Allow to set at room temperature for 20 minutes.
21. They will firm as the ghee solidifies.
22. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

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