Sooji-Ragi Halwa with Jaggery

We are a family of sweet lovers! And I love to cook in my downtime. That is a fatal combination because the byproduct is a new dessert which would be devoured in a jiffy! So, I have to come up with creative ideas to add more nutritional value to the dessert and subtract the sugar and empty calories. My 6 year old loves almost all Indian sweets, my husband and my 11 year old love "white halwa" (Sooji halwa) and I love jaggery! So this dessert (aka school-day kids' breakfast!) was created with all those factors in mind. And of course, the full container of Ragi perched on that pantry shelf was calling out, "please use me" for a while! 

"Ragi" or "Finger Millet" is not a grain we grew up eating. I had heard about the health benefits of Ragi from friends who ate it regularly with Sambhar and lost a lot of weight on it.  Rich in calcium, fiber and protein and low in fat, it makes a great contender to wheat as long as you don't mind the darker color it lends to the dish. And Sooji (semolina) is rich in fiber too. Jaggery (recommend using the darker version which is considered less refined and processed than the white, supposedly bleached kind). 

I like this recipe a lot and make it often because it is quicker compared to the wheat halwa, requires less ghee and is much more nutritious, a clear winner in my books! 

Ingredients

Ragi- 1/2 cup

Sooji- 1/2 cup

1 or 2% milk- 1 cup

Water- 1 and a 3/4th cup

Ghee (Clarified butter)- 1/4 cup

Jaggery chopped/powder- 1 cup

Ground cardamom seeds- 1-2 tsp

Sliced Almonds- 1 tbsp

Serves- 6 for dessert (stores well in the fridge for upto a week)

Cooking time- 20 min

Method

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the ghee on the stove top. Add the Ragi and the Sooji mixture and roast them on low flame until the ghee separates (about 5 minutes). On the other stove top heat the water + milk mixture with jaggery till it is hot and the jaggery dissolves (about 5 minutes as well).

Add the hot milk to the flour with the flame on low slowly in batches while constantly mixing. The flour will absorb the milk/water very quickly and keep "swelling".

Continue with the remaining milk and stir well to avoid lumps and make a smooth halwa. Turn off the heat (would take about 6-8 minutes at the most), the halwa will "dry" over time as the cooking process continues in the hot pan and the water-milk is absorbed more by the Ragi. Add the cardamom and garnish with slivered almonds.

The resulting halwa is not sticky at all and is melt in the mouth.