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Handiہانڈیاردو
Desserts & mithai

Sooji ka Halwa Recipe

سوجی کا حلوہ بنانے کا طریقہ

Halwa-puri style sooji halwa: semolina roasted slowly in ghee until golden, then cooked in cardamom syrup until it leaves the pan, glossy and fluffy.
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Illustration of Sooji ka Halwa

Prep

5 min

Cook

25 min

Total

30 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Sooji ka halwa is the sweet half of the Sunday halwa puri breakfast and the halwa made for niyaz and Shab-e-Barat. Semolina is roasted in ghee on low heat until it smells nutty and turns golden, then hot syrup goes in and it swells up in minutes. Slow roasting is the whole secret: rushed sooji tastes raw and turns pasty.

Ingredients

6 servings

For 6 servings

Measures

For the syrup

To finish

Method

  1. Put the water, sugar and food colour if using in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Keep it hot on the lowest heat.

    ⏱ 5 min

  2. In a heavy karahi, heat the ghee on low-medium heat and fry the cardamom for a few seconds.

  3. Add the sooji and roast, stirring constantly, until it turns an even golden colour, smells nutty and feels light and sandy.

    ⏱ 12 min

  4. Stand back and pour in the hot syrup in a steady stream while stirring; it will sputter hard. Keep stirring so no lumps form.

  5. Cook on low-medium heat, stirring, until the sooji absorbs the syrup, swells and comes away from the sides, with ghee shining on the surface.

    ⏱ 5 min

  6. Stir in half the nuts, cover and leave on the lowest heat for a couple of minutes, then serve topped with the rest.

    ⏱ 2 min

Tips for the best result

  • The ratio to remember is 1 sooji : 1 sugar : 2.5 water, with half as much ghee as sooji.
  • For halwa puri, keep it slightly soft and loose; it firms up while you fry the puris.

Common mistakes

  • Roasting on high heat. The outside of each grain browns but the inside stays raw, so the halwa is pasty and tastes floury.
  • Adding cold water or syrup. It makes the sooji seize into lumps; the syrup must be hot.

How to serve

Serve warm with puri and chanay for Sunday breakfast, or on its own in small bowls for niyaz.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 4 days in the fridge. Warm with a splash of water or milk in a pan on low heat.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
410kcal
Protein
4g
Fat
19g
Carbs
55g
Fibre
1.7g
Sodium
0mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 5

Whole dish ≈ Rs 28 · 40% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Sooji ka Halwa: questions people ask

Why is my sooji halwa sticky?

The sooji was under-roasted or there was too little ghee. Roast it slowly until golden and sandy before the syrup goes in.

Can I make sooji halwa with milk?

Yes, replace half or all of the water with milk for a softer, creamier halwa. Add the sugar after the milk is absorbed so it does not curdle.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All dessert recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: سوجی کا حلوہ بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/sooji-ka-halwa · Handi, DanixSoft