What is sooji halwa
Sooji halwa (north India), sheera/sheero (western India), mohan bhog (eastern India) and rava kesari (south India) are all variations of a simple but very tasty Indian pudding made with ghee, semolina (rava/sooji), milk and cardamom. Proof of its deliciousness lies in the fact that even in a country as culinarily diverse as India is, a billion-plus people are united in their love for this sweet dish. This is a versatile food. In my childhood home we often ate sheera for breakfast, but it can be served as a dessert too. At poojas (religious rituals), the sheera morphed into prasad (an offering to the gods), its appeal amped up with more ghee, dry fruits, and bananas. If you are familiar with rava upma, a savory south Indian breakfast dish made with semolina, think of sooji halwa as the sweet version of upma. The method of preparing both is very similar, but one ends up savory and the other as a sweet. Both are so, so good.
Veganizing sooji halwa
Two key ingredients in sooji halwa are ghee and milk. Most sooji halwa recipes, in fact, require a cup each of ghee, milk and semolina. A sooji halwa that rich would naturally taste great. The challenge before me, then, was not just to reduce the amount of fat in the recipe because come on, a cup of ghee? I cut down the fat to ¼ cup of oil with no compromise on texture. But I also needed to make sure that the vegan sooji halwa tasted fantastic without ghee, which adds lot of flavor. To get that richness I used two ingredients: almond flour and pure vanilla extract. Neither of these are traditional ingredients in sooji halwa but I’ve used vanilla extract before to add richness to my dairy-free Indian desserts, like vegan kheer. The almond flour melds effortlessly into the sooji, adding a rich nuttiness without being obvious.
How to make sooji halwa
Making a halwa is simple and quick, but there can be a learning curve because you have to toast the sooji just right, and be both quick and cautious as you mix the milk into the toasted sooji. Be patient for best results and remember, practice makes perfect!
Variations
You can add fruit purees to the sooji halwa to give it some added yum and healthfulness. Bananas are often added (add one very ripe, mashed banana to the halwa along with the sugar), and I have a vegan mango halwa recipe on the blog that’s quite scrumptious. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
To make the vegan sooji halwa nut-free, skip the almond flour and reduce the amount of milk to 2 cups. You can also skip the nuts in the garnish. Use pumpkin seeds instead.
Store
Refrigerate: The vegan sooji halwa can be refrigerated for up to a week. Freeze: Freeze the halwa for up to three months. Thaw completely before serving.
More Indian vegan sweets
Recipe card
