Sheh- Pahadi Halwa

I used to love Sheh as a kid - much much more than plain semolina halwa. However , it is so rich and involves a lot of muscle work to stir it constantly , that my mom would make it rarely. I was told that it is the recipe of the Shahs ( the traders) in Nainital. It uses hill flavors like fennel seeds, and infact the batter can be fried to make fritters or 'puas' , typically made for festivals.

So after years, I tried to recreate Sheh in my San Francisco kitchen on this President's day weekend. I thought it was decent although I should have used more sugar, which I have adjusted in the recipe. Remember to stir sheh a lot, the golden crust gives it this divine flavor. My friend freaked out when I told him about my little experiment, the amount of ghee seriously unnerved him, but I enjoyed every morsel of this dessert and it was worth all the ghee to me. I can eat salad for the rest of the week.




1 cup of semolina
1 cup yoghurt
1 cup water
1 tspn fennel seeds
2 pods cardomom
1/4 cup ghee
3/4 cup sugar





Instructions

1. Mix the semolina, yoghurt, water, fennel seeds and cardomom and keep at room temperature for half an hour.
2. In a wok , heat the ghee. Add the semolina mixture.
3. Constantly stir. When golden add the sugar.
4. Mix in the sugar and keep stirring. Try to get a golden crust by not stirring for a minute and then turn to the other side. Thoroughly mix the crust with the rest of the halwa.

Variation - You can add a mashed banana to the semolina mixture.