Sheera Recipe or Sooji ka Halwa – the most popular Indian dessert made from semolina, clarified butter (ghee) and sugar.

This sooji halwa is very easy and quick to make. The ingredients are very common. Probably you will have then in your pantry. This dessert does not require any preparation. And of course halwa will be ready in few minutes. You have any unexpected guests, make this sheera in no time and impress them.

It is traditional auspicious dish of India. On any religious occasion whether it is pooja or Satyanarayan katha, it is made in every household. Elders in my house says that pooja is incomplete without sooji halwa as a prasad. Many makes sooji halwa with banana as a prasad. After the prayer or pooja, sheera is offered to God. Then distributed to devotees as a blessings.

This sheera also offered to Lord ganesha during the ganesh chaturthi festival.

The name of the dish is vary from region to region. In western part of India, it is known as sheera. It is called halwa in Northern part of India. While the name rava kesari is from South India.

Basic Info:

Ingredients:

• Water – 1 ¼ cup
• Ghee or clarified butter – ¼ cup
• Fine sooji or rava or semolina – ½ cup
• White granulated sugar – ½ cup
• cardamom powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Almonds, cashews, raisins – 2 tablespoons, chopped

How To Make Sheera Recipe (Step By Step Recipe With Photos):

1) Take ghee and fine semolina in a pan. Turn the heat on low-medium.

2) Start roasting the sooji with stirring constantly.

3) While ghee is melting, take water in a saucepan on another stove. Turn the heat on medium. Let it come to a simmer.

4) Back to the roasting sooji, ghee is melted. IMPORTANT: make sure the heat is on medium to low. Do stir constantly with spatula.

5) Keep stirring and roasting till it gets slight brown color. you will get nice toasty aroma of sooji. You will notice that ghee is oozing out and it starts to bubble. It took me 7-8 minutes.

6) Now add warm water slowly. Be very careful, it will get very bubbly and will splutter a lot.

7) immediately mix it.

8) Cook with stirring continuously till water is absorbed. This will be done very quickly, about in 2 minutes. So do not go away.

9) Now add sugar.

10) Mix well. as sugar melts, sheera will get thinner.

11) Cook till again it gets thick. It starts to leave the sides of the pan meaning it is not sticking any more. Ghee will starts to ooze out. Turn off the stove heat.

12) Lasty add cardamom powder, chopped cashews and almonds and raisins (if using).

13) Mix well.

14) Sheera or halwa is ready to serve. You can just spoon it in a bowl. Or go fancy. Tightly pack sheera in a katori or designed bowl, remove it to a plate upside down. Do this while sheera is hot or warm to get smooth surface.

I always like to eat sheera warm. But you can serve room temperature halwa or chilled.

Enjoy!