Sooji ka Halwa / Suji Halwa/ Sweet Semolina Pudding
Sooji ka Halwa is one of my favourite Pakistani desserts, if not the favourite. I literally will have this for breakfast (desi breakfast) lunch and dinner! It is very much a popular and cherished dessert in Pakistan.
Ingredients
- 125 grams unsalted butter you can use ghee instead
- 175 grams coarse semolina I use East End's semolina
- 300 ml whole milk semi skimmed milk will also work well
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 25 grams desiccated coconut optional
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt the butter on a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat down. You do not want the butter to burn.
- Then add the course semolina to the pan. You will need to stir the semolina into the butter constantly for around 5 minutes. You will see the semolina will start to darken the longer it cooks.
- Once the semolina mixture has turned a golden brown, add the sugar. Stir through again until fully combined with the semolina.
- Then add the milk (semi skimmed or whole milk) and stir through until the mixture is fully combined. It will be very liquid based at this point. However it cooks very quickly and will need stirring regularly.
- It's important to keep constantly stirring the pan once the milk has been added. This prevents the mixture becoming lumpy. A good halwa will not have any clumps of sooji, it will have a consistently smooth texture. If adding coconut, you will need to add it in at this point. The mixture will soon start to thicken. You will need to stir 5-8 minutes until the mixtures glues together and becomes a mass. It will stick to the spoon as you stir.
- Once the mixture comes away from the edge of your sauce pan as you stir, it is ready. Serve immediately with roughly ground almonds and pistachios sprinkled on top. The crunch of the nuts to the soft halva is a nice contrast for the dish.
