14 Uses of Semolina (rava, sooji)
Semolina, also known as Rava or sooji, is a coarse flour that is made from Durum wheat and can vary in color from yellow to white depending on the quality of the wheat. Semolina is mainly used for making pasta, different kinds of cereals or desserts in USA and other countries but in India it is used mostly to make savoury dishes.
1. Semolina is used to make both savory and sweet dishes. The most basic and most known Indian dishes with rava are Upma and Rava Idli. These snacks too can be further modified into different dishes by addition of various other elements like tomato puree or a tadka.
2. Semolina is extensively used in the South Indian cuisine. In the south, rava is used to make the famous Rava dosa, different types of idlis and Rava appe and a traditional vada like snack that is pan fried in a special pan. The beauty of all these items is that they can be eaten at any time of the day.
3. Rava Chilla, is a savory pancake where the semolina is mixed with spices and finely chopped vegetables and cooked on a hot tava.
4. Semolina takes hardly any time to soak, so you can quickly whip it up into delicacies. Rava does not even require any grinding or fermentation and can be used to make quick snacks and breakfasts.
5. Rava sweet dishes are a big thing in India. Ghee-roasted semolina when cooked with a little milk and water and the desired amount of sugar will make a traditional Sooji Ka Halwa. This is often served as Prasad (offering to God) during Indian festivals of Satyanarayan Puja and Ganesh Chaturthi.
6. You can also add pureed fruits to make a tasty fruit halwa like mango sheera and pineapple sheera or make the sheeras flavored with different dry fruits.
7. Semolina can also be used to coat a patty or cutlet, or the Baati for Daal Baati Churma to give it a nice crispy coating. Try this Indian Railways Veg Cutlet Sandwich that is a go-to or comfort food for frequent train travellers.
8. Diwali is incomplete without making an array of dry snacks. Farsi Puri is often made in every Gujarati household. The addition of semolina and ghee to the plain flour dough gives the puri a melt-in-the-mouth, crumbly texture.
9. Everyone loves Pani Puri! But not many people know that the puri is made with semolina as well! To make the puri, the dough has to be kneaded really well for the puris to fluff up.
10. Semolina is the secret ingredient that is used to prevent the base of fresh pizza dough from sticking to the pan.
11. All types of pasta are typically made with semolina flour. The dried pasta that we get in the stores are simply made with semolina flour and water, mixed and then dried so that they can be stored for a longer amount of time.
12. In bread making, a small proportion of semolina added to the usual mix of flour produces a tasty crust, especially scrumptious with shortbread.
13. Semolina is used in many European countries to make puddings and porridges.
14. It is also effectively used to thicken stews, as a base for soufflé, as a hot cereal or as a cooked meal on its own.
To know about Recipes using Semolina, check out our collection.