Sooji Halwa

Sooji or Semolina or Rawa Halwa is probably the most frequent sweet made during POOJA for festivals at my home. It's a form of purified wheat middling of durum wheat mainly used in making upma, pasta, dhokla, puri for pani-puri, couscous and Halwa. Savory UPMA or Sweet HALWA I love using Sooji because of it's texture and taste and mainly because it cooks faster than any other flour used for making different recipes. Rava Kesari of South India to Mohan Bhog in East India to Sheera in West India it has many different versions made during JANMASHTMI Festival and also as MAHA PRASAD for SATYANARAYAN KATHA. It's one of my favorite Indian sweets that is cooked with ghee, milk, kesar, sugar and dry fruits. I made this for the JANMASHTMI festival to serve as BHOG or PRASAD to LORD KRISHNA and so I had to share it you all on this happy and auspicious occasion. Now let’s talk about the process of making this sweet delicacy, I often struggled to get the measurements correct and since it’s made without tasting it to offer as prasad I always dreaded if it turned out perfect in taste. Relate much??? So over the years I tried and perfect the recipe to make without tasting it and it turns out just right. So without further ado here is quick list of ingredients and the process on how to make this SOOJI HALWA. So make some today as the world celebrates the birth of the most loving LORD KRISHNA and here is wishing you all a very Happy Janmashtmi !!!! PREP TIME: 15 MINS COOK TIME: 15-20 MINS SERVES:4-6 Ingredients: 2 Cups Fine Sooji (SEMOLINA) 2 Cups Sugar (add 1.5 cups if you want less sweet) 1 1/2 Cups Ghee (add more if you want to make it more greasy) 1 Teaspoon Freshly ground cardamom powder 2 Cups Whole Milk 1/2 cup Heavy Cream 1 Teaspoon Kesar (saffron) 1 cup Cashews & Raisins Rose petals, Almond and Pistachio SIivers for Garnish STEP 1: Measure out all the ingredients and keep in individual bowls. Add kesar (saffron) to your milk and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Set aside. STEP 2: In a large nonstick pan add in your ghee and let it heat up. Add in your sooji and mix well. Keep mixing till sooji changes its color to light brown or dark yellow. It would take about 7-8 minutes for this process.Keep the heat on medium and keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. SEE PICS. STEP 3: Once the sooji is cooked you'll have nice aroma coming from it and also its color would have changed now add in your cardamom powder and sugar and stir frequently till all the sugar is dissolved completely. STEP 4: Add in your cashews and raisins and cook for another 3-4 minutes stirring frequently. STEP 5: Add in your saffron(kesar) milk along with heavy cream and mix well. Cook till all the milk is evaporated and the halwa becomes thick in consistency. Keep mixing well till you see the GHEE oozing out from the sides. Turn off the flame and garnish with some rose petals, pistachio & almond slivers. SERVE HOT with puris or enjoy it just by itself. SLIDE BELOW FOR PICS !!!!!! #soojihalwa #sujihalwa #janmashtmi #krishnajanmashtmi #indiansweets #halwa #spicendiced #semolinahalwa #semolina #prasad #bhogrecipe #indianrecipes #easyrecipes