Sooji Ka Halwa - Semolina Pudding

The much awaited and longed for monsoons have not yet set in, in Delhi but there are occasional days when it becomes cloudy and there is a promise of rain - the perfect weather for something piping hot like sooji ka halwa. Like most of my cooking this was also something that I picked up after marriage. My mother used to make it often so I knew the basics it’s just that I had never tried my hand at it.

The manner of cooking the halwa was very different at my husband's place for one it was  way richer with oodles of ghee added to it and also the sooji retained its creamy off whitish color (while  my mother's  used to be darker - light brownish in color). I enjoy both of them but then I of course have a sweet tooth. Whenever we sisters got together at my mother's place I was assigned the task of making the halwa for breakfast. Now, though I have cut down on the ghee in deference to our expanding waists, but yes it sure does taste mighty better with a more liberal addition of ghee. While it may sound simple and commonplace but making the perfect 'sooji ka halwa' is a little trickier then most of us think.

Here's my recipe for a yummy 'Sooji Ka Halwa'

Ingredients

1/2 cup sooji / semolina

1/3 cup ghee/clarified butter

1/3 cup sugar(or according to taste)

10-15 raisins

1cup water

5-10 almond cut into fine slices

Add sooji to the pan along with the ghee and stir it continuously on very low heat for 3-4 minutes. The low heat ensures that the sooji gets roasted evenly. In a separate pan warm the water. Once the sooji has got roasted add the raisins to it and stir for a couple of minutes. Then add the hot water to it and stir it till all the water gets absorbed. Now add the sugar and mix well till the halwa begins to come together. Keep stirring for a few more minutes till the ghee starts to leave. Remove the pan from the burner and decorate the halwa with the slivered almonds. Serve hot.