Halwa - Semolina dessert

Suji ka Halwa is made out of semolina. Halwa is part of many Hindu celebrations such as Diwali. Halwa is also made to offer during prayers. It is easy to make and lovely to eat. The main ingredients are semolina, sugar, milk, ghee (or butter), cardamom powder, almonds, and sultanas.

I make this for prayers and Hindu festivals as well as for dessert or for an afternoon snack with tea.

Tips for making the best suji ka halwa:

1. Roast the semolina on low heat, in a heavy-based saucepan, stirring constantly until golden brown and aromatic.

2. After adding the liquid mixture at the end of the cooking process, reduce heat, and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the heat at this point as the Halwa can become dry if cooked for much longer.

3. Safety Precaution - when adding the hot milk mixture to the roasted semolina, there will be a lot of hot liquid splatter. Reduce heat immediately before adding the milk mixture and take care.

4. Semolina comes in coarse and fine grains. Either of these will work. You can also buy roasted semolina. I still take it through the initial roasting process, as per the recipe below.

5. Instead of raisins or sultanas, you can add chopped dried dates.

Ingredients:

1 cup Semolina / Rava

2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or you can use butter instead plus 1 tbsp extra

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 cups liquid full cream milk

2 teaspoons cardamom powder

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cups raisins/sultanas

Procedure:

1. In a heavy-based saucepan heat the ghee on low heat. Add semolina and roast, stirring constantly until golden brown. There will also be a nice aroma at this point. This step can take up to 20 minutes.

2. In another small saucepan, add the milk and sugar and bring to a boil.

3. Add cardamom, almonds, and sultanas to the milk mixture. Turn off heat and set aside.

4. Once the semolina is golden brown, reduce heat further, and add the milk mixture gradually, taking care as the mixture will splatter a lot at this point.

5. Using a spoon, stir well. The liquid will be absorbed quickly and the mixture will begin to solidify.

6. Turn off the heat at this point and add 1 tablespoon of ghee/ butter.

7. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Enjoy! Goes well with a cup of masala chai.