If there’s one time of the year when I terribly miss India, it is during Diwali. But this year, India came to me! My parents are here for the most festive time of the year 🙂 I feel really blessed and I’m desperately trying not to think about them leaving in December. It is obviously not working.
But what did work is my attempt at making Rava Laddu! See for yourself.
Rava Laddoos are sweet semolina and coconut balls flavored with saffron, cashews, raisins and cardamom. It is just as delicious as it sounds. My Rava Laddu recipe is adapted from Cooking at Home with Pedatha. It makes 21 small sized laddus.
You will need –
Semolina – 1 cup
Grated fresh coconut – 2 cups
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Cashewnuts – about 10, broken into bits
Raisins – 8-10
A pinch of saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk
A pinch of cardamom powder
Ghee – 1/2 cup
1.Dry roast semolina for a minute or two. Mix it with the grated coconut and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Add 1/4 cup water to the 3/4 cup sugar and bring it to a boil. When the syrup starts boiling, take it off the flame and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the cashews until golden. In the same ghee, fry the raisins till they puff up. Set aside.
4. Heat the rest of the ghee and roast the coconut-semolina mixture on a low flame till it turns light pink (about 5-7 mins)
5. Off the flame, add this mixture to the sugar syrup. Add cashews, raisins, cardamom and saffron.
6. When the mixture cools slightly, make lemon-sized laddus with your palms. Store in an airtight container.
And now, I will subject you to a picture of my (pathetic) attempt at free-hand rangoli drawing –
And I hope you’re saying no to fireworks, because this..
I wish you all happiness on Diwali and always. Enjoy the festivities, folks!