Saraswat Rava Ladoo

Semolina ladoos with fresh coconut and cashew — fine rava dry-roasted in ghee until golden, mixed while warm with sugar, freshly grated coconut, crushed cardamom, and fried cashew pieces, then pressed into rounds while still warm enough to bind. The fresh coconut distinguishes the Saraswat rava ladoo from the drier North Indian versions; it gives the ladoo a moist, lightly chewy interior and a subtly tropical sweetness. Made at every Saraswat festival and life event — Navratri, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, thread ceremonies, and weddings; distributed to neighbours and offered as prasadam. The technique of binding with fresh coconut rather than milk or sugar syrup is the Saraswat community's specific contribution to the rava ladoo tradition.