Sooji halwa

Method

1. 1 Roast the semolina in ghee for 12 minutes until evenly golden brown and fragrant.
2. 2 Boil water with milk, sugar, and saffron to make a thin syrup, then keep it very hot.
3. 3 Pour the hot syrup into the roasted semolina with one hand and stir with the other.
4. 4 The syrup must be hot when poured; cold syrup will clump together and not dissolve.
5. 5 Stir for 5 minutes until the mass absorbs all the water and separates from the sides of the pot.
6. 6 Sprinkle with cardamom, let it sit for 8 minutes, then mix in cashews, roasted raisins, and ghee.

With an appliance

• Microwave 23 min

  Replace step 1: mix semolina with ghee and microwave at 800 W for 5 minutes, stirring every minute; the golden brown grains will be more fragrant than pan-fried for 7 minutes and will not have burnt spots. Keep the syrup from step 2 very hot, then pour and stir as in steps 3–6.