Sooji Ka Halwa

Hello boys and girls!

Let's start this one off with a joke shall we? No? Well tough, because I'm going to make one anyway! If you steal halwa from the respected Ms. Sue, do you get 'Sue-ji ka halwa'? Geddit? Geddit? Ow!

Right, back to work! Today's recipe is the classic, simple to make and utterly delicious sooji ka halwa.. For the uninitiated, sooji is semolina and sooji ka halwa is a sweet dish that is made fairly frequently in Indian households. If you're living at home then I'm sure your mum has been making it for you over the years and if you aren't, you're in luck, because I'm going to tell you just how to make some yourself!

So lean in real close and pay attention as I tell you how to make a halwa that is moist; loaded with almonds, raisins and ghee. Ready? Let's begin!

You will need the following:

Sooji (Semolina)	1 cup
Sugar	1 cup
Water	3 cups
Almonds	handful
Raisins	handful
Ghee	2 tbsps

Prep:

1. Chop up the almonds.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a saucepan on the gas.
3. Splash in the water.
4. Wait for a couple of minutes until the water gets hot. (It does not need to come to a boil.)
5. Add in the sugar.
6. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
7. Turn off gas. (You don't need to make a syrup. Just dissolve the sugar.)
8. Turn on another burner.
9. Bung a pan on.
10. Add the sooji to the pan and spread it out.
11. Keep moving the sooji around with a wooden spoon until it gets light brown.
12. Get bored of moving the sooji around.
13. Start daydreaming.
14. Snap back to reality when the smell of singeing sooji hits your nostrils.
15. Sigh with relief because your sooji didn't burn.
16. Continue moving the sooji until it is a nice toasty colour.
17. Add the sugar water into the toasted sooji.
18. Jump back as it starts to sizzle and sputter. 
19. Wait a few seconds.
20. Bravely approach the pan.
21. Pick up the wooden spoon.
22. Wonder how on earth this gloopy liquidy mess will ever turn into halwa.
23. Question my sanity.
24. Decide to give it a shot anyway. 
25. Mix the contents of the pan.
26. Crank the gas up to medium.
27. Lower it a smidge.
28. Throw a lid on.
29. Walk away.
30. Walk back because you have to do the dry fruits and ghee.
31. Turn on a smaller burner.
32. Bung on a small pan.
33. Add in the ghee.
34. Wait till it heats up.
35. Add in the chopped almonds and raisins.
36. Move them around for a few minutes. (Careful not to burn the raisins!)
37. Accidentally turn off the sooji burner.
38. Turn sooji burner back on.
39. Turn off the small burner.
40. Take lid off the sooji mixture.
41. Move it around till it's cooked and the water has almost all evaporated.
42. Taste test.
43. Add in the ghee and dry fruit mixture.
44. Stir.
45. Keep stirring until you reach the desired consistency.
46. Turn off gas. 
47. Feel bad for doubting my methods.
48. Call your mom to tell her you've made halwa.
49. Stuff face. 
50. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Do frequent taste tests. If you need to add more sugar after the taste test, add in the desired amount and add in some water for good measure. If it's too sweet, then toast some more sooji, add in some water, cook and add it in with the 'too-sweet' sooji. 

Alternately, you can add the ghee, chopped almonds and the raisins right after you toast the sooji and cook it for a bit before adding in the sugar water and continue cooking normally until the sooji is all cooked and you reach the desired consistency.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!