Maharashtrian Style Rava Ladoo

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Rava Ladoo or Pakatle Rava Ladoo is a yummy traditional Maharashtrian sweet, prepared during the festive season of Diwali or Ganpati. Made with very few ingredients like Rava (semolina/sooji), sugar, and ghee and flavored with cardamom powder it is one of the most sought-after sweets in the Maharashtrian household.

There are many different ways of making these Ladoos in India. I am sharing with you the traditional Maharashtrian recipe, making the Ladoo using sugar syrup. These Ladoos are also referred to as Pakatle Rava Ladoo.

This recipe has some very fond childhood memories that make it even more special. I remember during the Ganpati festival at my Ajoba and Aaji's place every day there used to be different sweets offered to the god Ganesha. One of those days every year my mom's aunts used to make Rava Ladoo. They used to be so delicious and very well flavored.

This recipe I am sharing is the one I learned from her. Grandma's recipes are always so special and hold tips and tricks to get the perfect dish. It took me some practice to get it right but once I did then this seemed to be the easiest Ladoo recipe to me.

The recipe seems a little daunting at a glance. But, trust me if you follow this step-by-step guided recipe and take care of the special instructions I have mentioned below you will get the perfect Ladoos every time.

What is a Rava Ladoo?

Rava Ladoo is a very popular Indian sweet made during the festivals like Diwali, Ganpati, Navratri, etc. Made with semolina, ghee, and sugar, these are basically sweetened semolina balls. Any round-shaped sweet is called Ladoo in India. It is called with different names in different cultures of India. Like in Marathi they are called Rava Ladoo or Pakatle Rava Ladoo, in Hindi, they are called Sooji Ke Ladoo/Rava Laddu, in south India, they are called Rava Unde and here in the USA, I have even heard someone refer to it as Semolina balls.

How are the Rava Ladoo made?

Making Rava Ladoo is fairly simple and a quick recipe. Right from getting the ingredients together to rolling the Ladoo can be done in under 30 minutes. All you need to do is roast the Rava/sooji/semolina till it becomes light and aromatic and add it to a sugar syrup cooked till one thread consistency. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes and roll them into balls.

So let me walk you through a step-by-step guided recipe and then I will share some key pointers to take care of while making these Ladoos. Do remember to read the cooking tips as they will make your Ladoo making process easy.

Step by step instructions for Rava Ladoo:

Roasting the Rava/Sooji/Semolina for Rava Ladoo

Take a pan or kadhai and set it on medium heat. Add ghee to the pan and let it heat a bit, then add the Rava and start roasting. When you add the Rava you will feel the denseness and heavy texture while you roast as the Rava will absorb all the ghee and become heavy. Keep on roasting till you get a nice aroma and the Rava becomes light and fluffy. Do not brown the Rava, we do not want the color of Rava to change.

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Now add the shredded coconut to it and roast it for another 4 to 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and transfer the mixture to a glass bowl. Add cardamom powder to it and mix it together.

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Cooking the sugar syrup

Take a saucepan and add water and sugar to it, set it on medium heat, and let the sugar melt and cook. Keep stirring at regular intervals and check for consistency after you see bubbles in the liquid. We need the sugar to cook till one string or one thread consistency.

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There are two ways to check if the sugar syrup is ready:

1. You could use a candy thermometer, you need the sugar to boil till 230F/115C to achieve one thread consistency. Switch of the flame immediately as it reaches 230F/115C.
2. You could check the traditional way. As you see the liquid boiling and bubbles forming, at some intervals get some sugar syrup in a spoon or a spatula. Let it cool for few seconds and then take a small drop and stretch it between your thumb and your forefinger/index finger. Keep checking till you get one string form between your fingers. Shut off the flame/heat.

Mixing the wet and dry ingredients:

Heat up the Rava mixture in a microwave for 30 seconds and then add it to the sugar syrup. Immediately start stirring and mix it all together till well incorporated.

Heating up the roasted Rava mix before pouring the hot sugar syrup helps in better binding of the wet and dry ingredients and also cooking the Rava thoroughly when hot sugar syrup is added. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes. Let the Rava absorb all the sugar syrup.

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Rolling the Ladoos:

Start making Ladoo when the mixture is warm, more on the hot side. This is important for the Ladoo to hold shape. Press the mixture tight in your fist and then once it's a tight ball roll it between your palms to give a round shape. You could also add a raisin while rolling the Ladoo. Be quick to roll all the Ladoo. In case after rolling a few Ladoo, the mixture becomes dry and Ladoo breaks then microwave the mixture for 15 seconds. This will help with the binding process. You could repeat this process till all the Ladoo are rolled.

Store the Rava Ladoo in an air-tight container in a cool and dry place. They will last well for 3 weeks. But I bet they will be devoured before that.

Cooking Tips for Rava Ladoo:

• Roast the Rava on low-medium heat stirring continuously. Roast it until you feel the Rava little light while stirring, very light golden and beautifully aromatic.

• Be careful not to over roast the Rava. Take it off the heat as soon as the Rava becomes light, changes the color a little and aromatic. Transfer the Rava and coconut mixture to a glass bowl or a microwave safe bowl to stop the cooking and browning process.

• Never roast the Rava on high heat, it will burn the Rava and lead to uneven roasting.

• Adding shredded coconut is optional but recommended. It give a beautiful flavor and enhanced texture. Take care that the coconut does not turn brown while roasting. We only want the coconut to be lightly roasted so it looses its moisture and becomes dry.

• Making one-thread consistency sugar syrup is very important. If you over cook the sugar syrup you will get hard Rava Ladoo.

• If you under cook the sugar syrup you will get too soft Rava Ladoo that you cannot roll in to ball shape and also they will get spoiled when left at room temperature.

• When you are making sugar syrup and check for one-string consistency or one-thread consistency, initially the sugar will stretch but will break. This means that the sugar is still not cooked to the right consistency. But be focused at this point as the sugar is nearly at the right consistency and you don't what to over cook it by ignoring.

• If you over cook the sugar and reach a 2 string consistency, do not worry. Add 2 to 3 tablespoon of water and keep heating the sugar. Check if you get 1 string consistency. So do not panic, and follow these instructions.

• Be careful when you add roasted Rava to the sugar syrup, the sugar syrup is to hot so use spatula to mix it and let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

• If the Rava Ladoo mixture turns dry while rolling the Ladoos, you could reheat the mixture for 15 to 20 seconds. This will melt the sugar and ghee and you will be able to bind the Ladoos again.

Enjoy making these traditional, delicious, and easy Rava Ladoo, Enjoy your Diwali with these yummy Ladoos and your loved ones.

You can also try some of my other Diwali special recipes:

One-pot poha chivda

Besan Ladoo

Kaju Katli

Nankhatai

Mawa Barfi

Butterscotch barfi

FAQs for Rava Ladoo

Why hot sugar syrup is used in Traditional Maharashtrian Rava Ladoo?

While making Rava Ladoo, all the components need to be hot while mixing. The Rava needs to be hot/warm and the sugar syrup a boiling consistency. When the hot syrup is poured over warm/hot Rava it cooks the Rava and starts absorbing the moisture of sugar syrup this softening a little and making the Rava edible for your palate.

Why is coarse Rava used to make Rava Ladoo?

When the hot syrup is mixed with roasted Rava, it cooks the Rava and the Rava absorbs the moisture of sugar and changes texture. If you use fine Rava in this recipe, then when the hot sugar syrup is added the Rava will overcook and become mushy. This texture will not be good for the traditional Rava Ladoo.

Why are the Rava Ladoo Hard?

If the sugar syrup is overcooked you will get hard Rava Ladoo.

Why are the Ladoos not holding the shape?

If the sugar syrup is undercooked then the Rava Ladoo will become soft and not hold shape. If this happens then transfer the mixture to the pan and cook it again for 2-3 minutes on medium heat till the mixture starts coming together.

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