Sooji Halwa Indian Semolina Pudding

This delicious Indian dessert is prepared all over India and has many different names. In North India, it is Sooji or Suji ka Halwa or Rava Halwa (rava is another name for semolina). In Maharashtra, it is called Sheera or Rava Sheera. In South India, it is popular as Kesari with the addition of saffron or food color. In Karnataka, it is called Sajjige. This semolina pudding is popular in Europe as well. The popularity of this sooji halwa is due to its easy preparation and ability to be whipped up quickly. Sooji ka Halwa is often an offering to the gods for Ashtami or Navratri Pooja. It is also an offering made during Satyanarayan Pooja. These festivals have a significant meaning in India, which makes this halwa so popular.

Watch How to Make Sooji Halwa

What is Halwa?

Halwa is typically made of flour (of various kinds), sugar, nuts, water, and some fat (oil or ghee). It has roots in many cultures, such as Turkish Halva, Indian Karachi Halwa, and Spanish Turron. This sooji halwa is made with semolina, sugar, ghee, and water (and/or milk). Cardamom powder, nuts, and saffron are optional but recommended to enhance flavor and nutrition. Check out other popular Halwa recipes:

Coconut Pumpkin Halwa Carrot Halwa Moong Dal Halwa Besan Halwa Aate ka Halwa Badam ka Halwa Lapsi Halwa

What is Semolina?

Semolina is a coarse flour made from durum wheat. It is usually golden or off-white in color and can have a more earthy aroma than common wheat flour. Semolina is high in gluten and high in protein. It is commonly used to make pudding, porridge such as this thick Rava Upma, and sometimes cakes such as this Orange Semolina Cake. Note: Semolina is entirely different than cornmeal, which is made from corn.

Ingredients

Making sooji halwa is very easy, but the important thing to note is to follow the proportions. Once you have the proportions right and a bit of patience to roast the sooji well, this sooji halwa is very easy to make. Let’s start with the ingredients for the Sooji Halwa. Starting from the top, we have sugar, sooji (semolina), ghee, nuts and raisins, cardamom and saffron, and milk (+ water). Here are some questions I used to get for the ingredients when making Sooji ka Halwa.

Which semolina to use for Sooji Halwa?

Usually, you will find “fine” and “coarse” varieties of sooji at the store. For Halwa, we use fine semolina.

What to use: Milk or Water to make Suji Halwa?

The easy answer is that either work or a mixture of both milk and water works, too. When using water, the color will be more brownish. If you use milk, the final Sooji Halwa will look more white. Milk also gives the halwa a much smoother texture. I prefer to use a combination of milk and water. Hence, in this recipe, I used a 1:3 ratio of milk to water—1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 cups of water.

How to Make Sooji Halwa?

In a small pot, boil the milk, water, sugar, ground cardamom, and saffron. Stir at regular intervals. Once the milk is boiling and the sugar has mixed completely, turn off the flame. At the same time, heat another pan on medium-low flame. Add sooji and ghee to the pan. Roast the sooji till lightly brown. You want to roast the sooji at a low temperature while stirring continuously. Keep a close eye on it, as it can go from lightly brown to dark brown very quickly. Add nuts when it has turned golden, so they will roast along with the semolina. Spoiler Alert: Your house will smell divine with the smell of ghee while roasting this sooji. Once the semolina is roasted, reduce the heat to low. Carefully pour the boiled water and milk mixture into it. Be careful, as there will initially be some splatters. Now, keep stirring while the mixture combines and becomes a dropping consistency. This should take 2-3 minutes. It should be a porridge-like consistency that can be easily served. However, as it cools, the sooji halwa will set completely. You can break it with a ladle and reheat it in a microwave to consume. Once heated, it will become fresh as if it had just been made.

Variations of Sooji Ka Halwa

This Sooji Halwa can be made with jaggery instead of sugar. It will be healthier, but a bit different in taste. Another variation is to make pineapple sheer or mango sheera. You can also add mashed banana to this halwa. Some people like to add a teaspoon of rose water for the wonderful aroma.

Tips to make perfect Sooji Halwa or Sheera

√ Don’t skimp on ghee when making halwa. I have tried it with less, and it does not taste as good. √ Be patient when roasting the semolina; it takes time. But roasting along with ghee definitely helps to speed the process. √ Boiling the liquids helps to make softer, perfectly cooked halwa. So don’t skip that; it also helps to do the steps in parallel. √ Nuts, saffron, and cardamom are optional. Add or skip based on your taste and availability. I recently made this suji halwa at a friend’s place for dinner, and believe me, it was gone in minutes. It is delicate and aromatic, which makes it hard to resist. Every year for Ashtami, we make Kala Chana with this Sooji Halwa and Poori. It takes me back to my childhood days when I would get this Prasad for Kanjak or Kanya Pooja (young girls until 9 years of age are worshipped on this day). This is the best combination you will ever have! Give this Suji ka Halwa a try, and don’t forget to let me know how it turned out. Check out other recipes with semolina – Rava Dhokla, Rava Upma and Orange Semolina Cake.