Sooji sheera (semolina halwa)
Semolina roasted in ghee and cooked with milk and sugar — the classic Satyanarayan prasad.
Preparation5 min
Cooking20 min
Servings6
Fasting (vrat) suitability
No saltNo onion or garlicContains grains or pulses, so it is usually made as festival prasad rather than eaten during a strict fast.
Fasting and offering customs differ between families, regions and sampradayas — some avoid all salt, milk, sugar or certain vegetables. Follow your own tradition and your elders’ guidance.
Offered on
Satyanarayan puja on Purnima; Devi on Navratri Ashtami/Navami with puri and chana
Ingredients
For 6 servings. 1 cup = 240 ml.
- ½ cup fine semolina (sooji/rava)
- ⅓ cup ghee
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ cups milk (or half milk, half water)
- 1 ripe banana, sliced (traditional for Satyanarayan prasad)
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp chopped nuts and a few tulsi leaves
Method
- Warm the milk in a separate pan and keep it hot.
- Melt the ghee in a heavy pan and roast the semolina on low heat, stirring all the time, until it smells nutty and turns light golden (8–10 minutes).
- Pour in the hot milk carefully — it will splutter — and stir fast so no lumps form.
- When the semolina absorbs the milk, add sugar and banana; the sheera loosens, then thickens again. Cook until it leaves the sides of the pan.
- Add cardamom and nuts, place a tulsi leaf on top and offer.
For Satyanarayan prasad many families measure semolina, ghee, sugar and milk in equal parts (sapaad). Customs vary.
Also offered on these festivals
Recipes written by our editorial team from common household practice. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.