This is a very simple, common, and a tasty Indian sweet dish. In earlier days, this used to be one of the first sweet dishes one would generally learn from their mothers. This is also made as “Prasadam” or “Naivedya” (offering to God) during festival time.
I remember during our childhood days when guests would arrive unexpectedly (of course, this is quite unheard of in todays world, what with mobile phones etc), my Mom would quickly prepare this sweet in honour of our guests as all the ingredients are generally available at home.
I had prepared this as "Naivedya" for the recent Janmashtami Puja.
Ingredients:
| Fine Sooji (Semolina) | 1 cup |
| Sugar | ¾ cup |
| Ghee | 4 tbsps |
| Cardamom powder | 1 tsp |
| Raisins | 1 tbsp |
| Kesar / Saffron (ground in a tbsp of hot water or hot milk) | A pinch / a few strands |
| Boiling water | 1 cup |
Method:
- Fry the sooji/semolina with a tbsp of ghee for about 3-4 minutes on a low flame.
- Add boiling water and stir well. Within minutes, all the water will evaporate and the semolina will be cooked and will turn soft.
- Now add sugar. Stir constantly while the sugar melts and see that no lumps are formed.
- Next add raisins and the ground kesar/saffron. Keep on stirring.
- Add the remaining ghee and stir as before till it leaves the sides of the vessel.
- Lastly add the cardamom powder and mix well. Remove from flame.
- Pour the contents on to a greased plate (smeared with a little ghee) and flatten it evenly with a back of a spoon or ladle.
- When cooled, cut it into squares or into diamond shapes.
Makes: around 30 pieces
Note:
- Sheera lasts only for a few days without refrigeration.
- A few chopped almonds or cashew nuts added to the above recipe also enhances its taste.
- A variation can be prepared by adding ripened bananas to the above.
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