Sooji Halwa Recipe

sooji halwa

Sooji halwa is liked by young and old alike. It is also made for bhog-prasad that is offering to the Lord and then distributing among devotees. Sooji ka halwa is also known as 'sheera' in some parts of India. If you add saffron to it, then it is known as 'rava kesari'.
Recipe of sooji ka halwa
1 cup sooji (rava/semolina/suji)
1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup sugar
4 cups of water
Few cashewnuts and raisins (kishmish)
1. Heat a kadhai or a pan and add a little ghee. Add cashews and raisins. Toast them a little and take them out of kadhai. Keep aside.
2. Add rest of the ghee and add sooji. Roast sooji on a medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Roast till sooji turns a little brownish (not chocolate brown). Sooji should not burn.
3. Add water and sugar. Mix and cover the kadhai. Let it cook on a medium-low heat till all the water is absorbed. Mix in cashews and raisins. Turn off the heat and let it stand for a few minutes, covered.
4. Uncover, take out in a bowl and serve sooji halwa hot.

Sabudana Vada

sabudana vada

Here is a simple recipe of sabudana vada with no frills attached and with minimum of ingredients. If you follow the recipe completely, you can make delicious sabudana vada. BTW sabudana vada is a Maharashtrian  food which is mainly eaten in fast. You can make these vadas for Ekadashi or Navratra fasts. I have used sendha salt in this recipe as I made them for Ekadashi fast, you can use common salt if you are not making them in fast.
Recipe of sabudana vada
3/4 cup sabudana (sago)
5 medium sized potatoes
3 green chillies- finely chopped
Sendha salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
1. Wash sabudana under running water. Soak in 'just enough' water in which sabudana is immersed and no
more. Soak for at least 1 & 1/2 hour.
2. Boil, peel, cool and mash potatoes. Add soaked sabudana, salt and green chillies and mix well to form a dough.
3. Pinch a ball from the dough and flatten it between your palms to form a patty or tikki shape called vada. Similarly make rest of the vada from the dough.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai (heavy bottomed vessel) and when the oil is completely hot, add the vada to it. Deep fry till the vadas are reddish brown from both sides. Also fry in batches. Serve hot sabudana vada.
Note: Sabudana vada is fried on high heat. If the oil is not hot enough, your vadas will break in the oil.