Creamy Shujir (Semolina) Halwa
Classic Bengali dessert of cooked down semolina, flavored with ghee, sugar, and spices.
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Resting Time 1 hour hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine bengali, Indian
- 1 cup coarse semolina
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup ghee
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 small sticks cinnamon
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1/4 cup milk powder
Garnish:
- sliced almonds
- raisins
- dried rose petals
Soak the semolina in milk for 1 hour.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and add sugar, ghee (reserving 1 tbsp for the end), and oil. Mix well.
Pour in the semolina/milk mixture. Whisk together very well and add cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and rose water.
Heat a wide, non-stick frying pan and pour in the mixture. Cook uncovered on low heat, stirring frequently. The mixture will start to thicken. Continuously scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula as the halwa solidifies, taking care not to burn it. The key to achieving a soft, creamy halwa is to cook it slowly on low heat. This should take about 20 minutes.
Add the milk powder and reserved ghee. Turn off the stove while the halwa is still runnier than you'd like, as it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Transfer to a serving bowl/plate while still hot. Decorate as you wish, using almonds, raisins, and rose petals as garnish.
Keyword halva, halwa, semolina, shuji