Rava Laddu / Rava Laddoo for Krishnar Jayanthi

"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 :) Last year I planned to draw footprints of my lil one but amma warned me as she was only 2months old and she was scared that she might catch cold.....so this year I was waiting...so after a great struggle with the hyperactive kiddo managed to get her footprints here which is going to be treasured :)

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.

Ingredients:

Makes 15 rava laddus

• Fine Sooji/ Rava - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Broken cashew nuts - 1 to 2 tbsp
• Hot milk (Hand bearable) - A little more than 1/4 cup (Adjust enough to form a ball) - You can substitute milk fully with ghee too
• Ghee - 2 tbsp

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.

Method:

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.

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.

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 say one tablespoon at a time.

Mix everything together. 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. Grease your palms with few drops of ghee if the mixture is sticky.Your guilt free rava laddus are ready to be served. Enjoy!!

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. You can view my Akkaravadisal recipe here which amma made earlier.

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.



• Add milk little by little, the lesser the milk the better, the result will be soft melt in your mouth rava laddus. If you add more milk, the laddus will be a little harder. You can substitute milk with ghee too.



• It keeps well for 3 days when kept outside itself. If you want to store them for few more days refrigerate it but when refrigerated the laddus become a little harder.So few mins before serving keep the laddus outside may be in a warm place.



• 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.