SOOJI HALVA

Serves 8

1/3 cups dark raisins
1/3 cups broken raw cashew nuts
1 teaspoon Ghee
1 ½ cups water
1 cup farina (Cream of Wheat)
¼ cup ghee
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Lightly butter and 8- inch square cake pan.
In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté raisins and cashew in 1 teaspoon ghee until lightly golden; set aside.
Bring water to a boil; set aside
In a wok or sauté pan combine farina and remaining ghee. Stir constantly over medium- high heat until light brown spots start to appear. Add reserved hot water and stir, preferably with a wire whisk. When water is mostly absorbed, add sugar, cardamom, and sautéed raisins and cashews. Continue stirring over medium heat for 1 minute, or until mixture becomes semi- solid.
Transfer mixture to buttered pan, pressing lightly to a thickness of 1 inch, and cut into shapes (hearts shown here).
Serve warm or room temperature. If you like, sauté additional cashews and raisins in a bit of ghee to use as garnish.
NOTES: Sooji (Hindi for “farina”) makes a fairly firm halva (sometimes spelled halwa) with a granular texture. Indian mothers like this one because it can be whipped up on short notice. I like it because it is full of raisins and cashews and not too rich tasting.
Recipe by Maya Kaimal from page 164 of her cookbook, Curried Favors