Recipe: Sugar Free Saffron Sooji Halwa
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 5
INGREDIENTS:
Sooji/rawa(Semolina): 2 cups
Ghee (clarified butter): 2 big serving spoons or half a cup
Sugar Free: 4 small spoons or as required
Cardamom powder: 1 tablespoon
Water: 4 cups
Almonds: 10-12 (copped into sliced)
Cashew-nuts: 10-12 (chopped into slices)
Raisins: 10-12 pieces
Saffron: a full pinch (roughly 20-30 strands)
About Sugar Free Natura Powder
Sugar Free Natura Powder Concentrate contains Sucralose - a sugar derivative, which guarantees the sweetness of sugar without the calories. It is ideal for all fitness seekers, diabetics and weight conscious. Each level spoon (0.5g) of powder concentrate is equivalent in sweetness to 1 teaspoon (5g) of sugar and gives 2 calories instead of 20 calories given by 5g of sugar.
PREPARATION METHOD:
1. Heat a broad pan or kadhai and add sooji to it.
2. Roast the sooji till it turns a little fluffy and whole kitchen smells of roasted semolina. This step takes around 12-15 minutes on a low flame. Keep on stirring after every few minutes.
3. After you have roasted the sooji for around 10-12 minutes, turn the flame off and let the sooji cool.
5. Now heat ghee in another pan and add the sliced dry fruits to the ghee and roast till they become golden brown.
6. Once the dry fruits turn golden brown add the sooji to the pan. Keep stirring the sooji so the ghee gets uniformly mixed and no dry lumps are left.
7. Keep stirring the sooji mixture on low to medium flame for 3-4 minutes and then add crushed cardamom to the mixture. You can also add the cardamom peel, as these add more fragrance to the halwa.
8. Continue frying the sooji on medium flame for about 12-15 minutes. Keep the heat to low or medium do the sooji mixture does not get burnt or starts sticking to the pan.
9. Meanwhile take the measured water in another and warm it up a little.
10. Add this warm water to the sooji mixture slowly. Keep on mixing when you are adding it to the sooji ghee mixture. This is how it looks once you have added water.
11. Stir the sooji mixture for 4-5 minutes and then add 2-3 level spoons of Sugar Free Natura (or as per taste) to the mixture.
12. Now add the saffron too, along with the water it was soaked in.
13. Once the water is added, mix the sooji well so that no lumps are formed.
14. Let the mixture cook for 5-6 minutes and gradually the sooji absorbs the water and thickens up. This is how it looks like.
14. Let the mixture cook for 5-6 minutes and gradually the sooji absorbs the water and thickens up. This is how it looks like.