Sooji Halwa or Suji Ka Halwa; however you call it, is a hug in a bowl. This easy Indian semolina pudding made with liberal doses of ghee is a must-make dish during the Navratri festival. Traditionally, this is served alongside Pooris, Kala Chana and some fruits on the day of Ashtami.
In this post, we will see how to make Suji Halwa aka Kanjak Prashad, step by step. In the meanwhile, give us a follow on Pinterest for delicious pins.
Halwa Poori- Kanjak Prashad
Navratri is a festival during which we worship nine Goddesses on nine days during the month of October. Women worship the female deities and fast during these nine days. On the 8th day which falls on Ashtami, we offer a delicious feast to the Goddess.
This features Suji Halwa, Poori and Kala Chana. Along with this, we also offer fruits. We invite nine girls home for lunch, serve them this lunch and take their blessings. It is a strong belief that the nine girls symbolize the nine Goddesses.
The entire Prashad platter is sometimes loosely referred to as Halwa Poori Chana or Kanjak Prashad.
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Kesari vs Sooji ka Halwa
We have several versions of semolina pudding across India. While this is called Suji ka Halwa up north, it is called as Kesari in Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka, it is Kesari Bath and in other parts, we refer to it as Sheera.
There are several variations as well. One of them is this pineapple Kesari.
Ingredients
You can think of this Suji Ka Halwa as a rich pudding. Warm, nutty and mildly sweet, you will fall in love with this easy dessert that can easily feed a crowd.
Semolina
You will need slightly coarse semolina for this recipe. This Halwa is not smooth. It has some texture. Fine semolina does not give us this desired texture. So I recommend using coarse semolina for best results.
Ghee
If I have to give one tip for making the best Sooji Ka Halwa, then it is this- DO NOT SKIMP ON THE GHEE!!. Ghee is the deal breaker here. That does not mean you add too much of it too. Please add the mentioned amount of ghee here for the best Halwa.
Sugar
Please use regular white sugar for this. As much as I know that it is not a healthy option, we can all surely indulge occasionally. While you can make this recipe with raw cane sugar, I somehow find that the white sugar version tastes best.
Aromatics
This recipe uses cardamom and rose water for aromatics. Rose and cardamom are two ingredients that shine through any dish when used together. This recipe is no exception. You can skip rose water if you are not a fan.
Dried fruit and nuts
Like all Indian desserts, cashews are added here too. These give a nice crunch to the Halwa. I do not like adding raisins to this but you can add some if you are a fan.
Suji Halwa Without Milk
There are many Suji ka Halwa recipe versions that use milk. However, this recipe does not use milk and relies on just water. As a result, this has a longer shelf life. This Halwa keeps well in the fridge for 4 days.
Serving Suggestions
Even though this is a traditional Prashad recipe, it is also served as a dessert or even as a breakfast in many Indian homes.
- Serve this semolina pudding with some piping hot Ginger tea and sandwiches for a fantastic breakfast.
- Make some Halwa as dessert for your Thanksgiving party or Diwali party. This recipe is just perfect since you can easily double or triple it.
Pro tips for the best Suji Ka Halwa
- Use a standard size measuring cup to measure your semolina, water and sugar. Proportions matter here big time. I have used a standard measuring cup and spoon set. Each cup mentioned here equals 250 ml and 1 tablespoon equals 15 ml.
- When mixing the Halwa at any stage, use a balloon whisk. This step will give you super smooth Halwa that has no lumps.
- Always cook the Halwa on low to medium heat. Slow cooked food tastes best and this recipe is no exception.
- If you are adding fried cashews, then fry them first, drain and set them aside. Add them at the end. This way, they will still remain crunchy.
- The longer you roast the semolina, the deeper the color of the Halwa will be. Not only will slow roasting give you a beautiful color but also a nutty flavor. So slow roast the semolina on the lowest heat possible until turns a a shade darker than golden brown. This takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
How to make Suji ka Halwa?
Roasting the Semolina
This step is what will make or break your Halwa. For this recipe, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan. Now, add 1 cup semolina and mix well. Turn down the heat to the lowest.
Begin roasting the semolina by stirring every now and then. Roast the semolina until turns a deep golden brown. This process easily takes somewhere between 6 to 8 minutes.
Cooking the semolina
Once you have finished roasting the semolina, you can see that color is all changed. See the above pic for reference. Immediately transfer the roasted semolina to a plate.
Heat the same pan and add 2 tablespoon of ghee. Now, add the crushed cardamom and roasted semolina. Mix well.
Turn down the heat to the lowest. To this mixture, add 2.5 cups hot boiling water. I prefer to get my water started in my kettle before I begin adding the ghee and cardamom. This way, my water is ready when I need it.
If you are making a big batch of this Halwa, keep the water boiling by the side since you will be needing lot more water for a double batch.
Whisking to avoid lumps
Once you have added the water, use a balloon whisk and keep stirring through the mixture until it absorbs all the water. At one point, the Sooji will have absorbed all the water and become solid. It will also be bubbling here and there.
Allow this mixture to cook fully until the semolina is fully cooked. The semolina will look dry and fluffy once its cooked. This stage takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add ½ of the remaining ghee and stir well to combine. Continue stirring until you see no ghee on the surface.
Adding sugar
Look at the above picture. The second tile shows how the semolina looks once it s fully cooked. Now add the sugar and mix well using a balloon whisk.
The mixture will become watery as soon as you add sugar. Now, add the remaining ghee and rose water. Stir well. Cook the mixture until it begins to solidify again. This takes around 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat.
The Halwa is completely cooked when it does not stick to your fingers and you can easily roll it into a small ball. Do not cook the Halwa till it is very dry. It has to be slightly gooey. Since this tends to thicken over time, I won’t recommend cooking this until its fully dry.
Once done, garnish with chopped nuts. I just added broken raw cashews. You can even add cashews fried in ghee. Our nutty Suji ka Halwa is ready.
You can either serve it as is or spread them on to a tray and slice them into squares.
Recipe Notes
- Do not add the sugar until the semolina is fully cooked. The semolina stops cooking as soon as the sugar is added.
- Always make this Halwa on lowest heat possible. Its time consuming but worth the wait and effort.
- The water has to be boiling hot. If you add warm or cold water, then semolina will turn lumpy.
- Using a balloon whisk to stir the Halwa gives the best results.
- I have just added raw cashews as garnish. You can add slivered almonds and pistachios too.
Our favorite products here
I have used a triply stainless steel pan to cook this Halwa today. In addition to this, I relied on my trusted tool- the balloon whisk to complete cooking this Halwa to perfection.
Here is the link for the pan- Prestige Triply Plan
Recipe Card
📖 Recipe
Sooji Halwa
Equipment
- Heavy bottomed Saute pan
- Balloon whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup Coarse semolina Sooji ( Bombay Rava)
- 10 tablespoon ghee
- 4 green cardamoms crushed
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2.5 cups hot boiling water
- 1 teaspoon edible rose water
For garnish
- 12 cashews broken
Instructions
Roasting the Semolina
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan.
- Now, add 1 cup semolina and mix well.
- Turn down the heat to the lowest.
- Begin roasting the semolina by stirring every now and then.
- Roast the semolina until turns a deep golden brown.
- This process easily takes somewhere between 6 to 8 minutes.
Cooking the semolina
- Once you have finished roasting the semolina, you can see that color is all changed.
- Immediately transfer the roasted semolina to a plate.
- Heat the same pan and add 2 tablespoon of ghee.
- Now, add the crushed cardamom and roasted semolina. Mix well.
- Turn down the heat to the lowest.
- To this mixture, add hot boiling water.
Whisking to avoid lumps
- Once you have added the water, use a balloon whisk and keep stirring through the mixture until it absorbs all the water. At one point, the Sooji will have absorbed all the water and become solid.
- Allow this mixture to cook fully until the semolina is fully cooked.
- The semolina will look dry and fluffy once its cooked.
- This stage takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add ½ of the remaining ghee and stir well to combine.
- Continue stirring until you see no ghee on the surface.
Adding sugar
- Look at the above picture. The second tile shows how the semolina looks once it s fully cooked. Now add the sugar and mix well using a balloon whisk.
- The mixture will become watery as soon as you add sugar.
- Now, add the remaining ghee and rose water.
- Stir well.
- Cook the mixture until it begins to solidify again.
- This takes around 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat.
- The Halwa is completely cooked when it does not stick to your fingers and you can easily roll it into a small ball.
- Once done, garnish with chopped nuts.
- You can either serve it as is or spread them on to a tray and slice them into squares.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- Do not add the sugar until the semolina is fully cooked. The semolina stops cooking as soon as the sugar is added.
- Always make this Halwa on lowest heat possible. Its time consuming but worth the wait and effort.
- The water has to be boiling hot. If you add warm or cold water, then semolina will turn lumpy.
- Using a balloon whisk to stir the Halwa gives the best results.
- I have just added raw cashews as garnish. You can add slivered almonds and pistachios too.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
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