Rava Laddu / Rava Ladoo quick and easy to make sweet and is one of the first few sweets I learned to prepare. "Krishnar Jayanthi / Gokulashtami" - The festival I look forward each year.....the little footprints drawn gives the home a divine look. In hindu customs, it is believed that the footprints drawn brings little krishna home :)
The festive day is known by different names. Some call it Krishna Jayanti day. A few call it Janma Ashtami day, while a good many call it Gokula Ashtami and Krishnar Jayanti.
The festive day is known by different names. Some call it Krishna Jayanti day. A few call it Janma Ashtami day, while a good many call it Gokula Ashtami and Krishnar Jayanti.
Ingredients:
Makes around 14-15 rava laddus
For the ghee version:
For the ghee version:
- Fine Sooji/ Rava - 1 cup
- Sugar - 3/4 cup minus 1 tbsp
- Ghee - 1/4 cup
- Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
- Broken cashew nuts - 1.5 tbsp broken
For the milk version(low fat): Other ingredients remains the same
- Ghee - 2 tbsp
- Hot milk (Hand bearable) - little more than 1/8 cup (Adjust enough to form a ball)
All other ingredients are the same
NOTE : If you want more shelf life then use ghee else go ahead with milk if you are looking out for a low fat version.
For the ghee version:
1.Heat ghee in pan and roast cashews till golden brown, keep aside.Then add rava and roast it in the remaining ghee in the tawa till nice aroma comes. Take care not to brown them, turn off heat, keep aside and allow it to cool. Add the sugar for powdering in a dry mixer.
2.Powder the sugar very fine, set aside in a bowl. Then grind the roasted rava to a fine powder. Transfer this to a wide bottomed bowl. Now add powdered rava to powdered sugar and mix well till sugar is even on all sides.
3.Transfer powdered rava and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix until it is combined well. Then add the fried cashews, cardamom powder. Then heat up ghee and add it.
4.Mix everything together with a laddle, by this time it will look like bread crumbs. Quickly with your hands form them into rounds balls by pressing tight. 
For the milk version:
Add ghee, fried cashews, raisins(if you use) and cardamom powder to the powdered rava sugar mixture and mix well, it looks crumbly like in the second pic below. Now take hot milk and add little by little .
Mix it and keep adding milk till the mixture starts to form a ball. Now stop adding milk and quickly form into balls using the palms of your hands. Your guilt free rava laddus are ready to be served. Enjoy!!
My Notes :
My Notes :
- While roasting rava take care not to brown the rava, be very careful to turn over if not it might get browned at the bottom giving you a light brown color.
- While mixing rava and sugar, mix thoroughly so that the sugar is evenly coated on all sides.After the milk is added quickly form them into balls, dont let it dry. If its dried add few drops of ghee and form into balls.
- The ghee version keeps well even for a week but the milk version the shelf life is very less consume it within a day or two.
Few facts about Krishnar Jayanthi:
Sri Krishna Jayanti marks the celebration of the birth of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Lord Sri Krishna was born on the 'Rohini' nakshatram (star) on Ashtami day. The festival Sri Krishna Jayanti is also known as Gokulashtami or Janmashtami. The actual day of celebration can be on two different days as the star 'Rohini' and Ashtami may not be on the same day.
The birthday of this marvellous child is celebrated as a festive and sacred day on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Sravana called Aadi in Tamil which corresponds to the English months of August-September.
