Roast The Suji Until Aromatic
1. Heat ⅓ cup ghee in a kadai or a thick-bottomed pan. Keep the heat to a low or medium-low. Use a heavy pan to cut down on the risk of burnt suji.
Keep ⅓ cup sugar and 1.25 cups water to boil in a pan on a different burner, while the ghee heats up. You can check the section ‘Making sugar syrup’ for this.
2. Add ½ cup suji (rava or semolina). Use a fine variety of suji and not the coarser variety.
3. Also, add 10 to 12 halved or whole cashews.
4. Mix well and start roasting the suji and cashews.
5. Stir the suji continuously, so that the grains do not stick to the pan. This way, you can evenly roast the suji too.
6. You have to roast the suji till the ghee separates and the cashews turn golden. The color of the suji or rava should not become brown. There will also be a fragrance of suji and ghee in your kitchen.
Roasting suji takes 7 to 8 minutes, approximately, on low heat. Without roasting the suji well, you will not get the perfect texture in the halwa. There will be a slight raw taste in the halwa. So, this step is important.
Tip: The suji fries well by the time the cashews turn golden. So, keep stirring and wait for the cashews to get golden.
7. Next, add 1 teaspoon chironji (optional), 2 tablespoons golden raisins, and a pinch of edible camphor (optional).
8. Next, add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (4 to 5 green cardamoms, powdered in a mortar-pestle, husks discarded). You can also add sliced almonds or pistachios.
9. Mix well.
Prepare the Sugar Syrup
10. When you keep the suji for roasting in the ghee, at the same time, take ⅓ cup sugar in another pan or saucepan.
Here, I have used raw sugar, and hence, the color of the water is not transparent but a light brown. I always use unrefined raw sugar in almost all of my cooking.
Feel free to use white sugar in this halwa recipe. You can add the same amount of white sugar.
11. Pour 1.25 cups water.
12. Keep the pan on a stovetop on medium-low to medium heat. With a spoon, stir so that the sugar dissolves.
13. Bring the syrup to a boil.
Combine and Cook the Halwa to Perfection
14. Once you stir the raisins, cardamom powder, and chironji, pour the boiling sugar syrup slowly in the suji mixture, with continuous stirring.
Pour gently and carefully, as the mixture sizzles and splutters.
15. For a lump-free mixture, stir well. Break the lumps, if any, with a spoon.
16. The suji grains will begin to absorb the water and swell.
17. The mixture will start thickening. Stir often.
18. In the picture below, the halwa mixture has thickened but is still soft, moist, and the consistency is like that of pudding.
19. After the mixture absorbs all the water, there will be a change in the texture, too. The ghee will also be visible at the sides.
20. Keep stirring and cooking till you get the final texture of the Sheera like the picture below. It should absorb all the water and leave the sides of the pan.
If you want to make slices, cubes, or squares, then immediately pour the halwa mixture in a greased pan or tray.
Spread evenly and when warm or cooled, cut into diamond-shaped or square slices.
21. Serve Suji Ka Halwa hot, warm, or at room temperature. You can refrigerate the leftover halwa. Before serving, warm in a small pan or in a microwave.