Rava, also called sooji (or suji) in North India, is the fine grade of wheat semolina at the heart of Indian cooking — the granular meal milled from the endosperm of wheat that is finer than the sandy couscous-grade grist yet coarser than smooth flour. It is what upma, rava dosa, rava idli, sheera and the syrupy sweet halwa are all built on, and the faint sizzle of it toasting in ghee is one of the defining smells of a South Asian kitchen. The grind is the whole identity: rava is deliberately fine and slightly powdery, so it swells quickly and cooks to a soft, fluffy grain rather than the firm, chewy bite of the coarse durum semolina used for pasta and couscous. The flavour is mild, gently sweet and nutty, with a malty, biscuity warmth that blooms the moment it is dry-roasted.