Sheera Recipe (Sooji ka halwa)

Sheera Recipe or Sooji ka Halwa recipe – the most popular Indian dessert made from semolina, clarified butter (ghee) and sugar.

This sooji ka halwa is very easy and quick to make. The ingredients are very common. Probably you will have then in your pantry.

This dessert does not require any preparation. And of course halwa will be ready in few minutes. You have any unexpected guests, make this in no time and impress them.

The name of the dish is vary from region to region. In western part of India, it is known as sheera. It is called halwa in Northern part of India. While the name rava kesari is from South India.

It is traditional auspicious dish of India. On any religious occasion whether it is pooja or Satyanarayan katha, it is made in every household. Elders in my house says that pooja is incomplete without sooji halwa as a prasad. Many makes sooji halwa with banana as a prasad. After the prayer or pooja, sheera is offered to God. Then distributed to devotees as a blessings.

This is also offered to Lord ganesha during the ganesh chaturthi festival.

Not only religious occasions, it is made on special occasion or festivals. I remember my mom making it on dad’s birthday.

Check out other halwa recipes
Pineapple halwa  //  Mango halwa  //  Banana sheera

How to make sheera recipe :

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1) Take ghee and fine semolina in a pan. Turn the heat on low-medium.

2) Start roasting the sooji with stirring constantly.
3) While ghee is melting, take water in a saucepan on another stove. Turn the heat on medium. Let it come to a simmer.

4) Back to the roasting sooji, ghee is melted. IMPORTANT: make sure the heat is on medium to low. Do stir constantly with spatula.

5) Keep stirring and roasting till it gets slight brown color. you will get nice toasty aroma of sooji. You will notice that ghee is oozing out and it starts to bubble. It took me 7-8 minutes.

6) Now add warm water slowly. Be very careful, it will get very bubbly and will splutter a lot.
7) immediately mix it.

8) Cook with stirring continuously till water is absorbed. This will be done very quickly, about in 2 minutes. So do not go away.
9) Now add sugar.

10) Mix well. as sugar melts, sheera will get thinner.
11) Cook till again it gets thick. It starts to leave the sides of the pan meaning it is not sticking any more. Ghee will starts to ooze out. Turn off the stove heat.

12) Lasty add cardamom powder, chopped cashews and almonds and raisins (if using).
13) Mix well.

14) It is ready to serve. You can just spoon it in a bowl. Or go fancy. Tightly pack sheera in a katori or designed bowl, remove it to a plate upside down. Do this while it is hot or warm to get smooth surface.

I always like to have it warm. But you can serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serving suggestion:  serve sooji halwa as a dessert. This sooji ka halwa can be eaten with puri. halwa-poori is popular combination.
Notes:
I have mentioned all possible points in the recipe itself. Just summarizing here again. So quickly go through it to get the perfect sheera recipe.

• Roasting sooji is the most important task to get the best halwa. Always roast on low-medium heat with stirring constantly. If sooji is roasted on medium or high heat then it gets brown quickly, will get burn and stay raw.
• Water should be warm or hot. Never add cold or tap water. Warm it up on stove or in microwave.
• From start to finish, you must stir constantly without stopping. you will get good arm exercise. So you cannot go away. You cannot do other task simultaneously. Only focus on making this recipe.
• Instead of water, you can add milk or mixture of water and milk.
• You can add your choice of nuts and dried fruits like cashews, almonds, raisins, chironji or charoli.
• You can add a pinch of saffron while roasting sooji.

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5 from 1 vote

Sheera recipe (Sooji ka halwa recipe)

US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Author Kanan

Ingredients

Ingredients for sheera recipe:

• 1 ¼ cup Water
• ¼ cup Ghee (clarified butter)
• ½ cup Sooji (rava or semolina) (fine verity)
• ½ cup White granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
• 2 tablespoons Almonds , cashews, raisins, chopped

Instructions

Making sheera or sooji ka halwa:

• Take ghee and fine semolina in a pan. Turn the heat on low-medium.
• Start roasting the sooji with stirring constantly.
• Keep stirring and roasting till it gets slight brown color. you will get nice toasty aroma of sooji. You will notice that ghee is oozing out and it starts to bubble. It took me 7-8 minutes.
• On other side, take water in a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium. Let it come to a simmer.
• Now add warm water slowly. Be very careful, it will get very bubbly and will splutter a lot. immediately mix it.
• Cook with stirring continuously till water is absorbed. This will be done very quickly, about in 2 minutes.
• Now add sugar. Mix well.
• Cook till again it gets thick. It starts to leave the sides of the pan. Ghee will starts to ooze out.
• Turn off the stove heat.
• Lastly add cardamom powder, chopped cashews and almonds and raisins (if using). Mix well.

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving

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