Soji ... Soft buttery fluffy

Soji is one of the tastiest Indian sweet treats that I know of.

I often crave for the soft, buttery and fluffy traditional "wedding soji" which as I remember when I was much younger, was often served on the same plate which one had just eaten the traditional breyani off. I also remember the stern and unapproachable look on the waiters' faces as they were tasked to serve out just one spoon of soji onto your plate.  The mere thought of asking for a second helping was almost undo-able at the sight of the waiters.  If you were indeed courageous enough to ask for a second helping of soji, it would be served to you with a frown . In my adolescent years it occurred to me that those waiters took their jobs way too seriously as they so miserly served the soji.

Soji still remains the favorite sweet treat at Indian weddings and at just about any gathering of family and friends. For many years I would indulge in the delightful soji which mum used to prepare. I remember the sweet aroma of the semolina and elachi being toasted in a pan as it filled the kitchen and our entire  home. Now that she has passed on, I am glad I watched attentively then as mum busily prepared the soji. 

There are numerous variations in recipes for soji but the use of butter or ghee seems to be the constant. My preference is to use butter because it adds to the texture and taste. I prefer not to sacrifice the flavour of butter in my soji.  I am inspired by the slight chill in the air over the past few days to prepare a dish of soji and I share my recipe with you. 

Ingredients

1 cup of semolina

1 teaspoon ground elachi (cardamom)

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of milk

1 pinch of saffron

1/3 of a teaspoon of egg yellow colouring

2 tablespoons condensed milk

2 tablespoons sugar 

200g salted butter

100g sultanas

150g slivered almonds 

My method

Toast dry ingredients: In a small heavy based pot over medium heat, add the semolina and cinnamon stick and toast slightly. Then add the ground elachi.  I prefer to use the whole elachi pods, the fragrance and taste  of which I find to be more intense when ground in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, as opposed to the store bought elachi powder. Continue to toast these 3 ingredients until the semolina turns a slight pink colour.  At this stage the aroma of the toasting semolina, cinnamon and elachi should awaken all your senses.  Once the semolina gets to the slight pink colour turn off the heat and place the pot aside. 

Preparation of  milk mixture: Simultaneously while the dry ingredients is toasting and you are keeping an eye on that (after all we can multi-task), place a second heavy based pot over medium heat and add the fresh milk and water. To this add the condensed milk and salted butter. (I use salted butter in my recipe as salted butter contains a colouring agent that gives butter its yellow colour and I have therefore also omitted the use of salt.) Next, add the sugar stirring continuously. The quantity of sugar can be adjusted as required, but note well that soji is a sweet treat after all so add enough sugar so that the taste is pleasing to the palate. My view is that soji should be generously sweetened to be enthusiastically eaten!   Add the pinch of saffron as well as the egg yellow colouring and sultanas and allow the mixture to heat through as the saffron dissolves and the milk turns to a light yellow glow. Be careful not to let the mixture boil over.  At the sight of the first few bubbles, reduce the heat slightly.

Next step is to combine the mixtures: Slowly add the toasted dry ingredients to the heated milk mixture a spoon at a time.  Do this really carefully. The mixture will bubble and splatter and the process can be slightly messy at this stage but I promise that all of the mess and fuss will be worth the trouble. I add about 100g of the almonds to the mixture at this stage. Mix quickly using a wooden spoon, combining the mixture thoroughly. Continue to allow the soji to cook over the low to medium heat, remembering to stir continuously.  The mixture will now start to thicken and begin to separate from the sides of the pot. You could add a little boiled water to soften and fluff up the soji.  Keep stirring as the mixture cooks for a further 10 mins. The soji is cooked when you find the texture to be light and fluffy. As presentation is as important as taste, I place the cooked soji into a flat casserole dish so I can slice up portions just before serving.

For the garnish: I used green and red cooking colour pastes and coloured 50g of the almonds separately and set aside to dry for a few minutes.  I decorated the soji with the coloured almonds and served it with a good dollop of fresh cream ....  Yum in my tum I tell you! 

Once you have tried this recipe, I would love to read your comments!