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Sooji Halwa For Ashtami Puja And Navratri
This Navratri I realized that I haven’t shared some very basic Indian recipes on the blog that I have been cooking all my life.
I hadn’t shared the recipe for Sooji Halwa (Suji Halwa). There can’t be any simpler Indian dessert than Sooji Halwa.
Growing up, there were 2 desserts that maa made regularly- one was halwa, and the other was kheer.
While halwa is a suggestive term used for desserts in India, the most common halwa that mom made were sooji halwa, gajar ka halwa, and aate ka halwa (made from wheat flour).
Sooji ka halwa (Suji Halwa) was made whenever we wanted to have something sweet. It was a convenient dessert which maa could whip up in 15 minutes, and hence it was her go-to dessert for sweet cravings.
The halwa is additionally made as prasad (offering) for various festivals and pujas. I remember devouring bowls of sooji halwa during Satya Narayan puja and Navratri!
What is Sooji Halwa (Suji Halwa)
It’s a dessert made with sooji (semolina), ghee (clarified butter), sugar, milk, or water. Everything else you add like dry fruits, cardamom or kesar is optional.
I make my sooji halwa with desi ghee and pure milk. Milk lends a good texture and taste to the sooji halwa. But you can alternatively use 100% water also.
Milk renders the halwa more creamy taste, so I prefer using 100% milk and no water.
I sometimes like to cook slightly flavored the halwa with cardamom and nuts for some variety and change of taste and flavor. Again you can skip all if you desire, it is totally optional.
My mom’s usual sooji halwa (or suji halwa) never had nuts in it. She didn’t even combine cardamom powder.
How to Make Best Sooji Halwa (Suji Halwa)
It’s just an uncomplicated dessert but here are some things you require to keep in mind while cooking sooji halwa, and that means getting the ratio right.
I have often overheard this from people who make the best sooji halwa and use the equivalent amount of ghee, sugar, and sooji and double the milk or water. (You can even go 50% water and 50% milk)
Now that might appear like a lot of ghee, but it does make the best halwa you would have eaten.
Roasting the sooji until fragrant is the most important step! If you don’t roast the sooji accurately, the halwa will have a raw flavor.
➤ You Might Like To Read: How To Cook Kala Chana – Ashtami Prasad
I don’t prefer to brown my sooji for the halwa, but a light tinge make it look mouthwatering. So I roast it on medium heat, stirring continuously until it’s nice and fragrant.
It takes approximately 8 to 9 minutes for it to roast on low to medium heat.
Be cautious while adding the liquid: when you combine hot liquid (water and milk in this case) to the kadhai/pan of roasted sooji, it bubbles up like crazy and can burn/scadle your hands badly. So be very cautious!
Combine them slowly and carefully else you will burn yourself. It’s addditionally an excellent idea to use a pan with a long handle to boil the milk, and sugar mixture.
This technique makes it more comfortable to pour the hot liquid combination into the sooji kadhai.
You must stir constantly to avoid forming lumps: to make sure your halwa is smooth, stir continuously as you combine the liquids and the sooji.
If you don’t do that, it will develop lumps and won’t have a creamy texture.
CUISINE Indian
PREP TIME 5 mins
COOK TIME 15 mins
TOTAL TIME 20 mins
COURSE Dessert
SERVINGS 4
Author Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup sooji (semolina) सूजी
- 2 ½ cup sugar चीनी (for a less sweet halwa reduce the sugar content)
- 5 cup milk दूध
- 2 ½ cup ghee देसी घी
- 10 cashew nuts broken into small pieces (optional) काजू कटे हुए
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder इलाइची पाउडर
➤ You Might Like To Read: Poori Recipe For Making Soft Puffy Poori
Method
- To a pan, add sugar, and milk. Stir and let it partially boil on medium heat. You don’t want to boil it fully but mixture should be heated thoroughly and sugar should be dissolved.
- While the milk heats up, put a wok/kadhai on full heat and combine ghee.
- Then add sooji to the kadhai and stir gently or else it will stick to the bottom and burn. Reduce the heat to medium flame. (optionally add in the broken cashews and stir.)
- Stirring constantly , roast the sooji on low-medium heat. (optionally add cardamom powder and continue to stir.)
- Stir for approximately 8 to 9 minutes on low-medium heat. As soon as sooji is fragrant and begins to change to light golden color, combine the ghee and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the heated milk-sugar mixture into the pan. It will bubble as you add the liquids into the pan so be careful and add slowly.
- Gently stir the sooji continuously as you combine the liquids with along handle to avoid burning your hands.
- Add the liquids slowly in 2-3 portions, stirring continuously with one hand.
- Decrease the heat to low and put the lid. Sooji will gradually begin to absorb the liquid and thicken up.
- Wait for 5 minutes and give it a stir.
- Wait for 5 minutes more until the halwa thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. You can now cut the heat off and serve it hot , or…
- Garnish with cashews and serve sooji halwa warm!
This Indian dessert is cooked with semolina, ghee and sugar. Sooji halwa is one of the most frequentltyIndian desserts made in every household.
It is best relished with poori and kala chana cooked for ashtami.
Recipe Notes
You can combine raisins and almonds to the halwa.
If you feel that’s a lot of ghee above, then you can cut it down to 1 ½ cup. I would not recommend going below that.
You can additionally combine saffron for color and flavor. Add it to the liquids while you are heating them up.
If you prefer a more roasted halwa, simply roast the sooji for additional 1 to 2 minutes for darker color halwa.
Be cautious while adding the liquid: when you combine hot liquid (water and milk in this case) to the kadhai/pan of roasted sooji, it bubbles up like crazy and can burn/scadle your hands badly. So be very cautious!
Quick Overview
Recipe Name: Sooji Halwa for Ashtami Puja and Navratri
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Description: It’s an Indian dessert made with sooji (semolina), ghee (clarified butter), sugar, milk, or water. Everything else you add like dry fruits, cardamom or kesar is optional.
Preperation time: 5M
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 15M
Type: dessert
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Ease of Cooking
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