Pineapple Sheera - Pineapple Halwa
Pineapple sheera is a popular Indian pudding made during the festive season. It is made with semolina, ghee, sugar, and pineapple chunks.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Semolina/Rawa
- 1 1/4 cup Pineapple cut into small chunks
- 5 Cashew nuts into pieces
- 8 Pistachios cut into pieces
- 5 Almonds cut into pieces
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder freshly ground
- 2-3 Cloves *optional
- 8-10 strands Saffron strands
- 15 Golden raisins
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
- 3 cups Water
- 1/4 cup Ghee
Instructions
- Combine water, sugar, pineapple, cloves, and saffron strands in a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Lower the heat and let the pineapple cook for 6-7 minutes until they turn soft.
- Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the ghee, and transfer the semolina to the pan and mix it well.
- Roast the semolina with ghee for about 20-22 minutes, or until it turns light brown in color, on medium low heat. Keep stirring in between and do not leave it unattended or the semolina will burn and will not taste good.
- Once the suji is roasted perfectly and aromatic, lower the heat, add a pineapple mixture little at a time without forming any lumps. Add the rest of the mixture and mix it well. There will be a lot of spluttering so keep on stirring the mixture.
- Cover the pan with a lid, increase the heat to medium low, and cook the sheera for 3-4 minutes. You will find all the liquid is absorbed.
- Cook the mixture for 5 minutes by covering the pan with a lid.
- Add some salt, nuts, raisins, cardamom powder, and 1 tsp ghee. Cover the pan and let the mixture cook for another 2 minutes. Serve hot or warm by sprinkling some nuts and enjoy!
Notes
- Roasting the semolina with some ghee on a medium low heat for between 20-22 minutes is very important to make a perfectly tasting sheera. Keep patience or you will find the sheera is a bit sticky and not good in taste.
- I will highly recommend using a freshly cut pineapple while making the sheera.
- Taste the pineapple before using in the sheera. If it is on a sweeter side then use the exact measurement I have given. If it is a little sour then please add 2-3 tbsp extra sugar in the sheera.
- When you add the pineapple mixture, make sure to lower the heat. It will splutter everywhere so add it gradually and stir the rava in between. Don’t add all the liquid at once.
- Adding a pinch of salt gives an amazing taste to the dish so you will not need to add more sugar in the recipe.
- Freshly ground cardamom in a pestle and mortar gives an amazing aroma to the dish.
- Adding the ghee at the end gives so much flavor and shine to the sheera.