Kavuni Arisi Laddu: The Chettinad Black Rice Sweet, Explained

A kavuni arisi laddu is a sweet made from roasted, ground black rice (kavuni arisi) bound with jaggery and ghee, usually with groundnut, sesame or coconut. Kavuni arisi is a heritage rice from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu. Its bran is a deep purple-black, so the laddu comes out dark and nutty, with a slightly earthy taste.

What is kavuni arisi?

Kavuni arisi (sometimes spelt kowni) is an unpolished black rice. The colour comes from natural pigments in the bran called anthocyanins, the same family of pigments found in black grapes and jamun. In Chettinad homes it is best known as kavuni arisi, a sweet pudding of black rice, coconut and sugar served at weddings and festivals. Because the bran is left on, the grain is chewy and takes longer to cook than white rice.

How a kavuni arisi laddu is made

1. The black rice is dry-roasted until fragrant and ground to a fine flour.
2. Groundnuts and sesame are roasted separately and coarsely ground.
3. Melted jaggery and desi ghee bind everything together with cardamom.
4. The mixture is shaped by hand while warm.

The Sproutix Kavuni Arisi Laddu follows this method with black rice, groundnut, sesame, cashew, jaggery, cardamom and desi ghee, and no refined sugar or preservatives. It comes in boxes of 6, 10 or 20 laddus.

How does it taste?

Less sweet than a besan or rava laddu, with a roasted, nutty flavour from the groundnut and sesame and a faint earthiness from the black rice. The texture is a little grainy, like a good homemade laddu, rather than smooth.

Kavuni arisi laddu vs other millet laddus

• Ragi laddu is softer and more chocolatey in colour; ragi is a millet, not a rice.
• Thinai laddu is lighter and milder.
• Kavuni arisi laddu is the darkest and nuttiest, and the one people ask about when they see it in a lunch box.

Compare them all in our millet laddu guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is kavuni arisi the same as forbidden rice?

Both are black rices with the same kind of purple-black bran. "Forbidden rice" is the Chinese black rice; kavuni arisi is the Tamil Nadu variety, grown and eaten in Chettinad.

Is a kavuni arisi laddu gluten-free?

Rice, groundnut and sesame contain no gluten, but check each maker's allergen line: the Sproutix laddu is packed in a unit that also handles wheat, so it is not certified gluten-free.

Does it contain nuts?

Usually, yes. The Sproutix version contains groundnut (peanut), sesame and cashew, and ghee (milk).

How long does it keep?

Sproutix 150 g boxes are MAP packed and keep 8 months; the 250 g and 500 g boxes keep 45 days. Store them in a cool, dry place.