Sweet and salty cooked sooji

Wheat semolina (sooji) and semolina from other cereals and pulses are used to prepare several Indian traditional foods like upmav (salty cooked sooji), halwa (sweet cooked sooji, suji or kesri bath, or kesari bhath), laadu, pani puri, rawa idli and dosa, etc. Among the semolina-based foods, upmav is a ready-to-eat salty sooji popular in South India. The product halwa is a ready-to-eat confectionery possessing a mild sweet taste (Figure 4.2.1). The other names of halwa are halva, halua, halvah, suji, sooji ka halwa, atte Ka halwa and mohan bhog.

The ready-to-eat products are popular throughout India and in neighbouring countries of India, Central and Middle-East countries. They are delicious ready-to-eat products, usually rich in carbohydrate and fat, and are prepared for use as a convenience food, particularly during the morning breakfast. Starch present in the cereal/pulse fractions undergoes the gelatinisation process in the presence of water and heat. The net result is the development of a semi-solid cooked mass obtained from a slurry. A dry mix of instant halwa is commercially available; the mix is partially cooked using a dry or wet cooking process that needs to be boiled for a few minutes to obtain the ready-to-eat form. Multigrain halwa mixes as a convenient product are also prepared from other cereals, millets, legumes, nuts, and condiments; halwa made with artificial sweeteners is also possible. Pumpkin halwa mix has been developed using dried pumpkin powder, sugar and milk powder. Maize semolina-based halwa preparation takes a longer cooking time than conventional wheat-based halwa. The product has an attractive yellow colour but is less popular.

The process of dry roasting on a hot surface favours partial cooking and surface hardening, and helps to maintain the integrity of the cooked semolina particles in the finished product. In the absence of the dry roasting process, the product becomes pasty and sticky. The process of roasting using ghee or oil also serves similar functions in addition to offering a smooth mouthfeel having a pleasant flavour, and avoiding the formation of lumps. Boiling the roasted semolina in water completes the cooking process that is associated with water absorption, volume increase, gelatinisation of starch and leaching loss. The latter two phenomena are restricted when the grits are dry-roasted. Hard wheat having higher protein content than conventional wheat samples is suitable. The fat content of some of the sweet halwas may be as high as 12%.

Some halwa varieties are in the form of dried powdery or gritty samples that can be stored for a long time due to their low moisture content. Examples are atta (whole wheat flour) ka halwa and chana (Bengal gram) dal halwa. People often carry these low-moisture-containing samples during excursions and travel. The simple process of preparation and the low cost of the products are the other advantages.