Manjusha Sinha, Author at Mishry

Rava or suji, also known as semolina, is the granulated version of wheat. The color mainly depends on the type and quality of wheat used. Typically considered a South Indian staple, rava is a versatile food grain that can be used as the base for a variety of delicacies. Semolina has a coarse grainy texture which is enhanced once dry-roasted. From a veggie-loaded upma to sweet and nutty sooji sheera, this grain is light on the stomach which in turn, makes this a wholesome and filling mid-meal snack. Additionally, suji is a rich source of carbohydrates, iron, and calcium. Similarly, minerals like magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus are also present in decent quantities. Following are some easy to prepare recipes that use suji/rava as the base. Recipe 1- Rava Laddoo Ingredients Rava - 2 cups Ghee - 2 tbsp Milk - 1/4th cup Sugar - 1 cup Water - ½ cup + ¼ cup Cardamom powder - ½ tsp Chopped mixed dry fruits - 2 tbsp Method Make a sugar syrup by mixing water and sugar. Roast rava in a hot kadhai till it leaves a nice aroma. Mix the ghee and milk, roast and cook further. Add in the nuts. Mix in the prepared sugar syrup. Mix well and leave it aside till the mixture cools down. Make laddoos when completely cooled. Serving Suggestion Serve as an evening snack. Pack the laddoos in the school lunch box for children. Have it as a festival treat. Milk used is toned milk. Can be taken for a journey, in that case omit milk and replace it with water. Chopped mixed dry fruits used are almonds, raisins, chironji (calumpang nuts) and cashew nuts. Recipe 2- Satori Ingredients Sooji - 1 cup Milk - 2 cups Ghee - 4 tbsp Sugar - ¾ cup Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Nutmeg powder - a pinch Maida - 1 cup Ghee - 1 tsp Salt - a pinch Ghee - as required for cooking the satori’s Method Heat kadhai, add to it ghee and roast the sooji till aromatic. Add the sugar, cardamom and nutmeg powder and further roast and add milk. Cover and cook till milk is absorbed by the rawa. Cool this mixture. Knead a firm and smooth dough with maida, ghee and salt using approx 1 1/4 cups of water. Keep it aside covered for half an hour. Roll out a small disc with the dough and keep some prepared sooji filling mixture in the centre. Cover properly, seal and roll out into 6 to 8 inch discs. Cook on a flat griddle with the help of ghee on both sides. The color would be slightly browned. Serving Suggestion Serve hot satori topped with ghee. Satori can also be served with some fresh coconut milk. Good option for breakfast. Good to carry in a journey. Will stay fresh for a day or two in non-summer days. Can be made for festivals like Rakshabandhan, Bhai dooj, Holikadahan etc Best had when served hot. Sweetness can be adjusted as per liking. Children would love to have it in school tiffin. Sugar can be replaced with jaggery. Some people also deep fry satori’s. I have used a shallow frying recipe. Recipe 3- Sooji Crackers Ingredients Sooji - 1 cup Sattu - ½ cup Wheat flour - ½ cup Salt to taste Carom seeds - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Refined oil - 1 tsp Asafoetida - a pinch Nigella seeds - ½ tsp Oil- to deep fry Method Mix the sooji, sattu, wheat flour. Add salt, carom seeds, red chilli powder, asafoetida and nigella. Mix with light hands. Add 1 tsp oil. Mix and make a firm dough using water as required. Keep oil for heating. Meanwhile make small balls. Roll into tiny discs. Pierce with a fork. Deep fry till golden and crisp. Serving Suggestion Serve with green coriander chutney. Serve as a starter with mocktails. Goes well with a hot cup of ginger tea. Store in an airtight container after the sooji crackers have cooled down. Healthy option for mid meal snacking. You can cut the cookies in desired shape for a fun activity with kids. Stays fresh for a couple of days. Round shaped cookies can be used as a canopy for parties. After frying keep them on absorbent paper to drain off excess oil. For home made sattu powder, grind some bhuna chana in a mixer. Recipe 4- Baked Rava Handvo Ingredients Rava - 400 gms Buttermilk - 1/4th cup Salt to taste Ginger green chilli paste - 2 tsps Fresh coriander chopped - 1/4th cup Grated bottle gourd - ½ cup Carrot grated - ¼ cup Oil for greasing - 1 to 2 tsp Ingredients for the Tadka Cumin - 1 tsp Black mustard - 1 tsp Fresh curry leaves - 5 to 6 Groundnut oil - 2 tbsp Method Mix the rava and butter milk and keep it aside for 3 to 4 hours. The rava will soak up all the buttermilk. Add salt, ginger green chilli paste, fresh coriander, grated bottle gourd and grated carrot. Mix well. For the Tadka Heat about 2 tbsp oil. Add mustard and let it crackle. Add cumin and curry leaves and once it crackles pour it on the prepared rawa mix. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Transfer the prepared mixture in a greased baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or till done. Serve hot cut into squares. Serving Suggestion Healthy breakfast option. Can be served with any green chutney of choice. Also a good option for evening Tea. Fenugreek leaves can also be added in season. You can pour the handvo batter in a muffin tray to make savory muffins. Handvo batter can also be poured in appe pan to make small appe’s. Batter would be of medium consistency. People who do not have an oven can cook handvo batter on low flame in a non stick pan. Black and white sesame seeds can also be used for the tadka. It enhances the look and nutritional value of the dish. The handvo can be garnished with fresh grated coconut. Recipe 5- Sooji Pakora Ingredients Sooji - 1 cup Besan - 1 cup Thick curd - 2 tbsp Ginger-green chilli paste - 1 tsp Whole coriander seeds - 1 tsp Turmeric - ¼ tsp Aniseeds - 1 tsp White sesame - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 2 tsp Sugar - a pinch Amchoor powder - 1 tsp Baking soda - a pinch Chopped Spinach - 1/4th cup Chopped fresh coriander - 1/4th cup Salt to taste Oil - to deep fry Method Keep the oil for heating in a deep kadhai. Meanwhile prepare the batter. Mix Sooji and besan. Add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, sugar Add green chilli paste. Add coriander seeds, sesame, aniseeds Add the amchoor and baking soda. Add the fresh curd. Add chopped spinach and fresh coriander. Mix well. Now slowly add water to make a semi thick batter. Deep fry pakoras in hot oil. Serve hot. Serving Suggestion Serve with tamarind-jaggery chutney. Serve sprinkled with some chat masala - optional. Best served with hot masala tea. Side dish for an elaborate lunch menu. Can be made for festivals like holi and kitty parties. Chopped spinach can be replaced with chopped methi too. Other vegetables can also be added to the batter like the Carrots, cauliflower, onion, potato, snake gourd etc Level of spiciness depends upon personal use and can be adjusted. Excess oil can be drained by placing the fried pakoras on an absorbent paper. Above are the ways to use sooji or rawa in recipes. If you plan to buy in bulk and store it in the kitchen, a handy tip is to dry roast the sooji, cool and store in an air-tight container. This process will help in keeping the sooji rid of bugs. Sooji can easily be given to toddlers as it is easily digestible. Sooji kheer and sooji halwa is the best dish for the tiny toddlers which will give instant energy. Do try out the recipes posted above and write to us with your feedback.

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