Sooji (Semolina) Halva

          I am not a big fan of sweets, unlike my husband. I only like a couple of traditional Indian sweets and occasionally, I get a craving for them. Sooji or Semolina Halva is one of them. It is usually made during festivals or religious functions and I absolutely love it when my mom makes it.
        Today was one of those days when I was craving it. And despite having never made it before, I gave it a try. The end result was not as good as what my mom makes, but was decent enough for me. And for my husband, my food critic, he liked it.
       Halva is a sweet/dessert popular across Asia and Europe. There are various varieties of it differing slightly in the cooking method, though the basic ingredients are more or less similar with some variations. Here is my take on the Semolina Halva.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Semolina (Suji/Rava)
• 2 cup Milk
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
• 1 tsp Cardamom (Elaichi) powder
• 1/4 cup Almond Slivers 
• 7-8 Saffron threads

Instructions:

•  Heat the clarified butter (Ghee) in a pan.
• Add the semolina to it and roast till it is light brown/ Make sure you are cooking on medium heat. Cooking on high heat may burn it

• Now add the sugar and saffron and mix it well.
• Then slowly add the milk and stir it continuously, till the sugar melts and it attains a semi-liquid Halva like consistency. About 3-4 minutes

• At this point add the cardamom powder. It is optional but I like the flavor
• Mix it well and remove from heat.

• Garnish with almond slivers and serve hot