Cranberry Sheera / Sooji Halwa

Cranberry Shira

Sheera or Sooji ka Halwa or Kesari is a rich, decadent dessert traditionally made using Ghee (Clarified Butter) and with lots of dry fruits - golden raisins, cashews, almonds.  Some like to cook this sweet with milk - Milk Kesari.  

Let me tell you how I make this delicacy - with store bought unsalted butter, crunchy cashews and slightly tart cranberries.

Ingredients:

Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 cup

Unsalted Butter - 1/4 pound (1/2 cup)

Sugar - about 1/3 cup

Dry Cranberries - about 1/2 cup

Cashews - about 1/4 cup

Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods

Nutmeg/Jaiphal - 1/8 tsp

Saffron/Kesar - few strands

How to make Sheera using Butter:

• Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Roughly chop cashews and cranberries.
• Heat 3 cups of water in a pot.  Wait until water starts boiling.  
• Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadhai or a pan.  Fry cashews in butter until cashews turn golden brown.  Keep them aside.  Now fry cranberries and save them for later too.
• In the same pan, add the remaining butter.  When butter starts melting, add semolina.  Roast it at low heat until semolina changes slightly darker in color and turns aromatic.  Now turn off the heat and add hot water, fried cashews and cranberries.  Stir and let semolina absorb all the water.
• Lastly, add sugar, ground cardamom, saffron and grated nutmeg. Stir well and you will notice that sheera starts leaving the edges of the pan. Cranberry Shira is ready to devour.
• Cranberries are slightly tart, you might need more sugar if you like your Sheera more sweeter.