Suji ka Halwa

Suji ka Halwa or Semolina dessert is one of the very popular sweet dish prepared in Indian kitchen in varieties of ways. It is mainly prepared during festivals and occasions, especially when people are fasting. The recipe holds almost all the ingredients similar, however, there is a slight difference to the method of preparation in different parts of the country.

In Bengali houses, Suji ka Halwa is being prepared to offer in Prasad to the deity, after the God is offered with the prayers, then the priest keeps the bhog near the deity for her blessings and then it is distributed among the worshipers. We usually have Suji ka Halwa as Prasad along with puri, it is mainly prepared during the ‘Durga Ashtami’ (the eighth day of the Durga Puja) and the ‘Lakshmi Puja’.

Mahalakshmi is known to be the Goddess of wealth, this Puja in West Bengal is celebrated just after 4 days of Durga Puja, to mark the full moon day or ‘Sharad Purnima’ according to the Hindu Calender, we also offer prayers to the deity for a better career, income, happiness, health, and wealth in the family. Lakshmi Puja is also celebrated during Deepawali in other parts of the country, however, most of the eastern and North-east India celebrate ‘Kojagari Lakshmi Puja’ in the Ashwin month (early October). It is very significant in terms of wealth in the house, it is an auspicious day to start any new work or career. ‘Bhog’ is being offered to the Goddess and after the puja, with the blessing of God, this bhog is shared as Prasad to the neighbors, friends, and family. Suji ka Halwa plays an important part in the Prasad, as it is a vegetarian and a sweet dish to offer the God.

Bengalis like to have sweeter dishes for be it any occasion, birthday party or wedding reception. Suji ka Halwa is usually preferred to have in the sweet dish menu after the meals, and it can’t go without a sweet dish during the festivals too. We usually add more sweetener in the dessert, sometimes we also add up jaggery (gudh) for that sweet tooth love and the flavor of Bengal to remain in it. This Suji ka Halwa recipe is also preferable for quick snacks option, tiffin boxes, breakfasts or a light dessert after a heavy meal. You can have it served hot or can even store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and eat chilled. I’ll share more stories and recipes in my upcoming blog posts, but for now, enjoy the traditional ‘Suji ka Halwa’ in Bengali style. Here is the recipe with step by step methods of preparation.

[Veg]

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Course: Sweet dish

Cuisine: Indian/Bengali

Serves: 4

Measuring Items: 1cup=150ml, Teaspoon

Ingredients:

1. Suji/Semolina- 1 cup
2. Refined oil- ½ cup
3. Ghee (clarified butter)- 1 cup
4. Almonds- ¼ cup
5. Kaju (cashew nuts)- ¼ cup
6. Kismis (raisins)- ¼ cup
7. Milk- 1 ½ cup
8. Sugar – 1 ½ cup (or adjust the amount of sugar depending up on the sweetness you prefer)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan, add 1 teaspoon ghee to it, fry the almonds, cashews, and raisins slightly for  2 minutes. Remove them and keep aside.
2. In the same pan, put suji and stir (roast in low flame or else the suji might get burnt). Roast until suji turns golden brown, say for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the flame and keep the roasted suji remain in the pan aside.
3. Now take a cooking wok or kadhai, boil 2 cups of water in it. Then add milk and bring to a boil.
4. Slowly add the roasted suji into the boiling liquid keeping the heat on low flame and keep stirring.
5. Once you are done pouring the suji, add sugar and rest of the ghee into the wok. Cover the wok with its lid and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
6. Off the flame and finally add the fried dry fruits, mix well.
7. Serve along with hot puris (flat Indian bread deeply fried in oil) and aloo bhaja (fried potatoes) for that quick sweet dish breakfast option.
   

Paromita Pramanick ©2017. All Rights Reserved.