Sooji Halwa (Suji ka Halwa)

Make authentic sooji halwa in 20 minutes with an easy VIDEO recipe. Get my detailed recipe of restaurant-style halwa with tips and variations.

Sooji halwa/halva is a Pakistani and North Indian semolina pudding that is the go-to quick and easy dessert in most traditional homes. It is also called suji ka halwa.

Punjabi halwa poori is just to Pakistani what donuts are to Americans; a yummy, happy start of the weekend. My kids just love it and having it on the weekend is a ritual for us. Like carrot halwa, sheer khurma and shahi tukray; sooji halwa is widely eaten through out South Asia.

• Halwa tastes best when served warm. Cold is like putting cold butter slices on cold toast.
• You can make halwa upto a day ahead. Just reheat halwa before serving.
• The best sooji ka halwa is soft, moist, not at all dry and lumpy.
• The key to the best Punjabi halwa is well toasted semolina (also called farina in USA.)
• What makes suji halwa soft is fully puffed semolina grains. To attain that cook sooji on low heat. Add more water if water is dried and semolina is not fully puffed.
• The moist factor in sooji ka halwa comes from the fat. The best fat to make suji is ghee or clarified butter which is the game changer in this recipe. Another option is unsalted butter.
• Finally, you can make it in oil too but it will be a big compromise on taste and aroma. It will feel oily.
• Do not try to reduce fat in the recipe as sooji will get dry and lumpy without enough fat to hold and make it moist.
• Halwa is a weight gain food speacially for babies and toddlers. It is indulgent and there is no point making it low fat. Eat less but it should taste great.

Ingredients:

It's a day saver and can be made quickly for guests with simple ingredients that are always present in the Indian pantry. The three most important ingredients of sooji halwa are semolina, sugar, and ghee. Others are added delight.

• Semolina: Semolina is a coarse flour made from durum wheat. Durum wheat is different from whole wheat or common wheat. More about semolina and it's benefit at Healthline. Here are other names for semolina in different regions. Sooji (Pakistan/North India); Rava (South India); Farina (USA)
• Ghee: is clarified butter used widely in South Asian cooking. Ghee can be substituted with unsalted butter.
• Sugar
• Cardamom: is an aromatic Indian spice. You can substitute cardamom with cloves or saffron.
• Water
• Rasin: It is optional, add only if you like raisins like my son.
• Garnish: Any nuts of your choice usually almond and pistachios.

Making sheera or sugar syrup is simple. Put all ingredients in the pot and boil it. When sugar melts sheera is ready. You can skip raisins if you're not fond of it. Adding yellow or orange food color or not is a personal choice, traditionally it is added.

Take a wide and thick-based vessel. Heat ghee and add the cardamom and cloves. Let it crackle a bit then add the semolina. ( Cloves are optional here.)

Semolina is golden. At this stage add sheera, the sugar syrup.

A succulent halwa is ready to enjoy. You can see the halwa is like a thick sauce at this stage. As it cools, sooji will absorb more water, and halwa will thicken. (If you like halwa don't forget to rate this recipe.)

(In another popular method of making sooji sugar, water, and food color are added directly at this stage without making sheera. I recommend you to make sheera separately as it gives a smoother texture without a lot of stirring. As a downside, you need to wash one extra pot but it is totally worth it.)

LOOK at the photo carefully! You need this texture. Halwa will get dry as it cools and semolina will absorb more water. Watch the video.

Protip: See the semolina or sooji granules. They are translucent! That's when you know semolina is puffed. Check the oil seperating on the sides. That's when you know all water in absorbed in semolina and excess has dried. You need bhunnofying or searing at the end for 1-2 minutes for that crisp resturant-style taste.

For 4-6 month babies, semolina is simply boiled in water. A little sugar or salt can be added to the flavor. As the baby grows and his tummy gets used to digesting it. You can add little milk and butter along with water after 8 months.

Add milk to sooji only when you've already started giving cows or other milk to your baby and he can digest it.

When your baby is 1-year plus or has started to eat from your table, you can make sooji like this. Sautee a few tablespoons of sooji in butter or ghee then add milk and sugar to sooji.

Cook on very low heat for 10 minutes and add more milk if needed. Sooji should be fully puffed and soft. Cool sooji completely then feed the baby.

You can store this sooji halwa in the fridge. Ideally, reheat and cool to room temperature before feeding the baby again.

Never add food color or saffron to sooji if making for young children. You can add fruits and veggies to make suji ka halwa more nutritious for the child.

Again make sure you have already introduced the below food individually to the baby and you know he can digest it. Only then add it to sooji and make it more complex.

Except for mango and marmalade, I have personally tried all variations, they all add more softness and add to the nutritional value of halwa along with flavors.

I added some mava or khoya in the garnish. You can add it on top towards the end of cooking without mixing and cover the pot so khoya is heated in steam. Another rich indulgence for a gourmet-style suji ka halwa.

If you try this sooji halwa recipe, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube.

 Sooji halwa recipe, soft and delicious

A super moist, traditionally and authentic sooji halwa that will steal your heart.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep: 2 minutes

Cook: 18 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings : 12

Calories: 268kcal

Author: Mariam Sodawater

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Ingredients

1x2x3x

For Sheera (sugar syrup)

• ▢ 1½ cup sugar , or more to taste
• ▢ 3 tablespoon raisins , optional
• ▢ 3 cups water
• ▢ A pinch of yellow food color

For Semolina

• ▢ ¾ cup clarified butter, (ghee), substitue with unsalted butter or oil
• ▢ 3 cloves, (laung)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ▢ 1 cup fine semolina, sooji

Garnish

• ▢ 3-4 tablespoon pistachio and almonds, chopped

Instructions

Make Sheera

• Boil water, sugar, food color and raisins in a vessel. When sugar dissolves completely. remove from heat and set aside.

Fry semolina

• In another pot, heat clarified butter and fry cardamom powder and cloves. Now, add semolina and toast for 5 minutes. Fry until the semolina is fragrant and its color changes to a light golden. Semolina burns quickly so stir constantly.
• Now, add the sheera water gradually in semolina pot. Cook for 10 minutes on very low heat so semolina puffs completely. Keep stirring and cook until oil separates from sides. (Sooji halwa should be runny and not lumpy. It will absorb more water upon cooling and thicken.)
• Garnish with pistachio and almonds.

Notes

• Halwa tastes best when served warm. 
• The key to the best Punjabi halwa is well-toasted semolina.
• Use ghee for best taste.
• Yellow color in sooji is optional.
• You can substitute cardamom with cloves or saffron.
• You can refrigerate sooji halwa for a week or freeze sooji for 2 months and enjoy it later. 
• Re-heat halwa in a thick-bottomed pot or fry pan. Heat on low and stir frequently turning sooji up and down to heat evenly.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.33(⅓)cup ,Calories: 268kcal ,Carbohydrates: 39g ,Protein: 2g ,Fat: 12g ,Saturated Fat: 7g ,Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g ,Monounsaturated Fat: 4g ,Cholesterol: 29mg ,Sodium: 5mg ,Potassium: 78mg ,Fiber: 1g ,Sugar: 25g ,Vitamin A: 8IU ,Vitamin C: 1mg ,Calcium: 8mg ,Iron: 1mg

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