In north Indian homes, suji halwa is cooked in a blink to translate any occasion - big or little into a celebration. It is a simple, soul warming traditional indian dessert. We make it on festivals and special occasions. In our home, we love it for sunday breakfast with aloo poori. During Navratri, it is served with dry kala chana and poori for ashtami prasad.
About My Heirloom Recipe
You will find many ways of making sooji ka halwa all over India. Largely, the basic recipe remains the same. I first shared an image of this suji halwa on my Instagram page back in 2017 and ever since I have been asked multiple times how I get this unique color. It’s how my grandmother taught me and here’s how I remember her sooji halwa recipe:-
Ingredients
Suji (Semolina) - For a melt in mouth, soft halwa that delivers a delicate mithai like mouth feel, choose fine semolina. The semolina packets you get in indian grocery stores mention it if semolina is fine or coarse. If you like your halwa to be a bit chewy, use regular coarse semolina. This recipe will work with either. I use fine suji. Ghee - A must! Indian sweets are unimaginable without the rich & nutty aroma of ghee. Water - I use water, to keep the dark amber color. If you wish, milk can be used but keep in mind that milk will make the halwa a bit sticky as well as the color won’t be deep brown. White Granulated Sugar - Traditionally sugar is used. You could use jaggery(use chopped), cane sugar or raw sugar. Don’t use milk if you are using jaggery else milk might curdle. Nuts & Flavors- Anyting you like! I always use golden raisins because that’s what what my grandmother always added to halwa . You can add cashews, makhana or shredded coconut as well. For flavoring you can use rose water, green cardamom powder or saffron strands.
How To Make Suji Halwa (Step By Step Pictures)
Recipe Tips
Cook the halwa on low heat. Continuous stirring helps in evenly roasting semolina. Stirring gently yet continuously after adding syrup makes for a creamier halwa. Amount of ghee can be varied but please keep in mind that skimping on ghee will affect the proper texture of halwa and it will taste dry. You can reduce the amount of sugar if desired. If you don’t want a dark halwa- roast the semolina in ghee for just 5-7 minutes, until its pinkish golden in color. Rest of the recipe remains the same. If you like a runny halwa, increase the water quantity to 3.5 cup. Store halwa in air tight container for 4-5 days refrigerated. Reheat when serving. Suji halwa freezes beautifully too. Freeze for up to a month. I like to use silicone trays and portion out the halwa before freezing. To reheat, and microwave as needed.
