These rawa (semolina) laddoos are among my favourite Diwali sweets, second only to besan laddoos! They are soft, moist, coconut-y and beautifully saffron cardamom flavoured. I will admit my Mom did most of the work here and I’ve hopefully learned something along the way about this family favourite recipe! Let’s make some Diwali laddoos 🙂

I’ve always been a little nervous around Indian sweets because seasoned cooks make them by very often eyeballing measurements and at the same time, there are certain steps that are super precise. I left my Mom extremely harrowed by constantly going “ok, so how many cups is that?” “but you said two teaspoons and you put three!” “omg what do you mean ‘add some ghee’, how much ghee!”

It was fun 😀

Thankfully, I still managed to understand what was happening and wrote down all the tricks to keep in mind. These laddoos are easy to make, there are just a couple of things to remember for success and quite frankly, they’re going to taste delicious whether your sugar syrup is the right consistency or not, or whether the laddoos are perfectly round or not!

This was also an interesting recipe to shoot because I wasn’t surrounded by my usual props and backgrounds and raided the linen closet and crockery cupboard at my parents’ place, leaving my Mom staring in extreme amusement as I ran around the house muttering to myself about lighting and colours. I took these photos entirely on my phone which was also a first for me!

This recipe uses khoya (milk solids) for a richer, softer consistency. If you don’t have it, check the recipe notes for how to modify things. Above all, have some fun with it because the end result is so good. These laddoos are not too cloyingly sweet, they have some texture from the coconut and the saffron cardamom flavours will blow your mind. I hope you love these!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Rawa Coconut Laddoos

Soft and moist cardamom saffron flavoured laddoos made with rawa (semolina) and coconut. A Diwali favourite!

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 20

Makes: 18 laddoos

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Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups rawa (semolina)
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, see notes)
200 gms khoya, crumbled (khoya is basically milk solids; see notes)
8 to 10 pods cardamom, peeled and finely crushed
1 cup white sugar, lightly heaped
1 and 1/2 cups water
Pinch of saffron (4 to 5 strands)

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, blitz the rawa for a few seconds until it's super fine. This step is optional but it does lead to a smoother end texture.
Now in a sturdy wok or deep pan, melt the ghee on low heat, then add the rawa and stir frequently for about 5 minutes until it just begins to change colour (see photos below). If the mixture seems very dry, add another teaspoon or two of ghee.
Now add the grated coconut and stir for another 8 to 10 minutes until the colour deepens but isn't dark brown. Now add the khoya and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. The milk solids will start to brown and the colour will darken at this stage to a golden-brown. Let this cool for about 15 minutes, then stir in the cardamom.
In the meantime, start the sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a sturdy saucepan, stir and let the sugar dissolve on low heat, and then let it come to a boil. After 5 to 10 minutes of boiling, spoon out a couple of drops of the syrup and rub it (carefully!) between your thumb and index finger. When you part your fingers, you should see one and a half threads of sugar forming. This could take upto 20 minutes because ambient temperature makes a difference (see the video linked in the notes below for a reference).
About 2 to 3 minutes before the thread consistency is achieved, add the saffron to the syrup. Once it's ready, pour the hot syrup into the rawa mixture in the wok. Stir to combine, then cover and let the mixture rest and cool for 3 to 4 hours. As the syrup is absorbed, it will firm up.
Shape the mixture into laddoos. If you have trouble, shape them the best you can and let them rest. They will become easier to make into rounds after this, or you can even refrigerate them for some time.
Store in an airtight tin in the fridge if you live in a humid area (since the khoya is a milk product and could go bad). They keep for weeks and can even be frozen. Happy Diwali!

Notes

*If you don't have khoya, you can use milk powder. Alternately, skip it and use 1/3 cup ghee instead to make sure the laddoos still remain soft and rich.

*You could use freshly grated coconut or frozen and thawed grated coconut. If using the packaged variety of frozen grated coconut, blitz it in a grinder or blender for a few seconds after thawing, because it tends to have larger/longer coconut bits.

*This is a useful guide on how to check the consistency of your sugar syrup, you can skip to 3.40 in the video. While the syrup in this laddoo recipe uses more water, that proportion ensures softer laddoos.

L to R: The rawa mixture at the start and after browning it with the coconut and ghee