Thursday 29 May 2014

Sooji Halwa/Semolina Halwa

This post has been sitting in my drafts for the longest time!!! Sooji halwa(semolina halwa) is N's speciality and i never make it... ya never... he makes it so well  that i have never bothered to go there.. So when i need a break( a well deserved one there cos i am a stay at home mom working 24*7) this halwa is made or when N is  in a sudden mood to get into the kitchen and relax(cooking is  a mode of relaxation for him)  this a recipe where the ingredients are definitely there.

an indian sweet made with semolina
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Sooji halwa has a  special place in many indian families as i understand.The south indian counterpart is called kesari and in mahararshtra its called sheera.Its made during festivals specially during navrathri ( during the kanjak period)and served with  dry chole and puri,ganesh chathurthi and many other occasions .We used to get this and we used to eat the puri chole and then follow it with the halwa.Then later N introduced me to a new combination of mixing the three or at least mixing the chole with the halwa and having it.At first i did not like it.I could not think of mixing  a salty spicy thing with  the delicious halwa. But now i love that combination.

a dessert made from sooji/semolina


My daughter who otherwise doesn't have semolina porridge eats this one made by her  papa.We give  her very small quantity though.

So going into N's style of making the halwa

WARNING: heavily loaded with ghee.( We indulge once in a while,one can reduce the amount but let me tell you the secret behind the taste is this addition)

Ingredients:

1 cup semolina(sooji/rawa)
3/4 cup ghee(clarified butter)
3 and 1/2 cups  hot water
1 full cup plus two tbspns sugar(adjust according to your taste)
2 crushed cardamom
Almonds for garnish

A delicious indian sweet  made using semolina,ghee, water and sugar


How N made it?

Melt the ghee.Fry the semolina in it till it  turns  golden brown and a nice aroma rises.
Mix the sugar into it  and immediately pour the water into it stirring continously.The semolina bubbles up so keep a good distance from the stove.
Keep stirring till the mixture thickens and  when it leaves the  sides of the pan your  halwa is ready.Take it off the stove.
Add the crushed cardamom.
Garnish with almonds( you can fry the almonds in ghee).You may use cashew or other nuts.
Serve hot as a stand alone dessert or try the halwa poori chole combination.

We tried making the halwa substituting half quantity of water with full cream milk but did not find any significant difference in taste.So we decided to continue with just water and no milk.You can make vegan version of this by substituting the ghee with oil.

Enjoyyyy the yumminess of the semlina fried in ghee as the halwa melts in your mouth.... sluuurrrppp.. sllluurrppp...!!!
Everyone who has tasted N's halwa has loved it, so hoping that you will too.If you try do let me know by leaving a comment here or on the blog's facebook page.

also called kesari-an indian sweet

4 comments :

  1. Halwa looks fabulous and would love to have a bowl.

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  2. This looks delicious. I have a feeling my 8 year old would love it in her lunch box. She really loves and can live on the chuck-e-cheese days. Although she has had to make some adjustments since we came to Dubai. :)
    There is a new Chuck-e-Cheese opening on Oud Metha and she can't wait. :)


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