ghazi52
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Sooji Ka Halvah
The word halvah finds its roots in the Arabic language and refers to many dense or compact desserts.
Originally, halvah was either flour based or used various nuts with sugar, milk and butter to create a sweet gelatinous, or hardened nutty dessert. It is commonly believed that this kind of halvah was introduced to the settlers in India through trade with the Middle East and Asia Minor during the expansion of the Mughal Empire.
The book Sweet Inventions says,
The origin of Indian halvah is unmistakably Middle Eastern; the name itself is originally Arabic (halwa, meaning sweatmeat). In the Middle East there are two types of halvah, an older type made with flour, and a more recent variant that substitutes a nut or a sesame seed paste.
The former halvah in today’s subcontinent is called sooji (semolina) halvah. It has the consistency of a dense brownie or a slightly crumbly cake and is made by frying semolina in ghee and adding syrup. A Mughul era recipe calls for equal parts flour, ghee and refined sugar.
There are dozens of variations in halvah, but sooji halvah reigns supreme, it is quick, delicious and a subcontinental household favourite. The recipe I share with you today comes from my dear mother’s kitchen. Here it is from my kitchen to yours.
Ingredient
1 ½ cups sooji
½ cup ghee
½ cup mixture of chopped almonds and raisins
3 cups hot water
½ cup full cream milk
½ cup sugar
5 to 10 green cardamom
Method
Heat ghee, adding sooji. Keep stirring until it changes colour to a golden hue, adding almonds and raisins.
In a separate pan, bring to boil milk, water, sugar and cardamom.
Add the water mixture to the sooji mix, stirring at all times. Cook on low to medium heat until halwah leaves pan and thickens in consistency. Serve warm.
The word halvah finds its roots in the Arabic language and refers to many dense or compact desserts.
Originally, halvah was either flour based or used various nuts with sugar, milk and butter to create a sweet gelatinous, or hardened nutty dessert. It is commonly believed that this kind of halvah was introduced to the settlers in India through trade with the Middle East and Asia Minor during the expansion of the Mughal Empire.
The book Sweet Inventions says,
The origin of Indian halvah is unmistakably Middle Eastern; the name itself is originally Arabic (halwa, meaning sweatmeat). In the Middle East there are two types of halvah, an older type made with flour, and a more recent variant that substitutes a nut or a sesame seed paste.
The former halvah in today’s subcontinent is called sooji (semolina) halvah. It has the consistency of a dense brownie or a slightly crumbly cake and is made by frying semolina in ghee and adding syrup. A Mughul era recipe calls for equal parts flour, ghee and refined sugar.
There are dozens of variations in halvah, but sooji halvah reigns supreme, it is quick, delicious and a subcontinental household favourite. The recipe I share with you today comes from my dear mother’s kitchen. Here it is from my kitchen to yours.
Ingredient
1 ½ cups sooji
½ cup ghee
½ cup mixture of chopped almonds and raisins
3 cups hot water
½ cup full cream milk
½ cup sugar
5 to 10 green cardamom
Method
Heat ghee, adding sooji. Keep stirring until it changes colour to a golden hue, adding almonds and raisins.
In a separate pan, bring to boil milk, water, sugar and cardamom.
Add the water mixture to the sooji mix, stirring at all times. Cook on low to medium heat until halwah leaves pan and thickens in consistency. Serve warm.
