Sooji Ka Halwa is a relatively simple but mighty delicious dessert that is cooked frequently at my house. It has a delicately soft, crumbly texture and a mildly sweet flavor with subtle undertones of cardamom and rose - absolutely beautiful! Sooji Ka Halwa can also be served with pooris (deep fried flatbreads), Punjabi Cholay and a potato curry as a very indulgent breakfast!
I posted this picture to my Instagram of breakfast I made for my husband's day off - Sooji Ka Halwa leftovers from the night before, cumin-spiced potato cubes and pooris
The only step that has potential to ruin this recipe is the roasting of the semolina - the rest of the steps are remarkably difficult to mess up. You must ensure that the semolina is heating at medium-low and that you stir constantly. Any burnt bits will impart an unpleasant taste and may ruin the Halwa. Furthermore, under-roasting will leave the Halwa with a raw taste - if you are unsure whether the semolina has roasted sufficiently, always err on the side of over-roasting (but never burning).
With this recipe, the result is a spongy, crumbly cake-like texture but if you want a more fluid consistency then instead of 2 cups of water, use 3 cups but adjust the sugar accordingly. I must say though, I prefer the texture as it is!
Enjoy, with love!
📋 Recipe
Sooji Ka Halwa - Sweet Semolina Pudding
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (65 g) ghee
- 8 cashews
- 5 cardamom seeds
- 1 cup (170 g) semolina
- 2 cups (½ l) water
- ¾ cup (160 g) sugar adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon rosewater optional
- 1 pinch saffron optional
Instructions
- In a pestle and mortar, beat the cardamom seeds till the black seeds from inside come out. Discard the shells. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, put the cardamom seeds in a bag and beat with a rolling pin till the black seeds come out.
- In a pan, heat the ghee and add the cashews and cardamom seed remnants. Fry till golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- To the ghee, add the semolina. Roast the semolina on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring very often and keeping close by at all times to ensure the semolina doesn't brown too much or burn.
- As the semolina is roasting, in a separate pan add the water, sugar, rosewater and saffron, Heat on medium heat and dissolve the sugar. Before it comes to a boil, turn the heat off and cover.
- Once the semolina has roasted, add the water. It will sizzle and bubble and steam will rise - but keep stirring! This is because we need to ensure no lumps are formed.
- Keep stirring the halwa constantly until it begins to start pulling away from the edges.
- Sooji Ka Halwa is ready! Garnish with cashews and serve hot!
Notes
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Laiba L
Tried my first ever sooji ka halwa after following your recipe and everyone loved it.
Rokeya
Can you taste the rose water and saffron in this? Are we able to skip it if we can as I do not like the taste x
Sara
Hi! This my go to halwa recipe and I’ve successfully made it countless times. However, yesterday I made it with butter instead of ghee and the water was too much and the halwa didn’t pull away at all and stayed quite wet. I did it twice thinking maybe I accidentally added 3 cups but same ting happened second time and the water would not boil off. Has the recipe been changed recently?
Fatima
Hi! No, the recipe is still the same! Strange! Hope it works for you as usual next time
Abida
Allahumma baarik, looks delicious! I've been wanting to make sooi halwa for a while, but I've never tried it so I've been a bit nervous of making it. Love your asian dessert collection!
Fatima
Jazakillah khayr, Abida 🙂 Sooji Halwa is very easy - much easier than the other desserts I've posted about... I'd say definitely give it a go! 🙂
Rokeya
@Fatima,
Salam can you taste the rose water and saffron in this? If so, can we skip them both?