Here’s a simple Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Halva recipe that will let you make this classic Indian Halva without having to stand, stir, control spatters, and wonder if it’s done yet or not. Whether you call it Halva, sheera, sheero, or kesari, you will agree this simple farina dessert is delicious and when made in a pressure cooker, quite easy.
HOW DO YOU MAKE HALVA?
Okay, it’s actually not that difficult to make stovetop halva–IF.
IF you’ve ever watched it being made, IF you’ve had a family member show you how, IF you’ve eaten vast quantities of it in your life so you know how to tell when it’s done and of course IF you have time to stand and stir and control the adding of water so you don’t get splattered and burn yourself.
HOW IS SOOJI HALVA MADE TRADITIONALLY?
Traditionally, this recipe is made stovetop. First, you roast the sooji or farina. Then you add to it a sugar syrup you’ve prepared, along with lots of ghee and cardamom. Then you cover it and let it cook until done just so.
We’re not making it that way. We’re not going to roast the sooji for starters. This is the part that takes forever. It does make a slight difference to the taste but really, it’s not a huge difference and I’m okay skipping it.
We are also not making a sugar syrup and we are definitely not pouring the hot sugar syrup into hot sooji and watching it splatter all over our stove top and ourselves.
WHERE DO I FIND FARINA?
This is going to be a lot simpler than you think. Either go to the Grocery store and look for sooji. Or go to grocery store and get some Cream of wheat.
Yup. Cream of wheat = Farina = Sooji.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HALVA RECIPE |INSTANT POT SOOJI HALVA RECIPE
HACK #1
So in this Instant Pot Halva recipe, we are going to combine everything in the right proportions, cook it pot-in-pot, remove it and eat it.
No really. It will be that simple.
HACK #2
The other little hack I used for this was to grind saffron threads rather than soak them in milk, wait for them to soften, and dirty yet another dish to make it.
What you do is that you grind up some saffron with a little sugar in a mortar and pestle. Not only does this make the saffron easier to dissolve, it also stretches that expensive saffron a bit.
Just another way to be #ruthlesslyefficient ?
So to recap, we are making this Instant Pot Halva by mixing up sooji, sugar, water, cardamom, and saffron. And then we are cooking it pot-in-pot for ease and to ensure the right consistency.
Got it?
Let’s make it!
Instant Pot Halva Recipe
Here’s a simple Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Halva recipe that will let you make this classic Indian Halva without having to stand, stir, control splatters, and wonder if it’s done yet or not. Whether you call it Halva, sheera, sheero, or kesari, you will agree this simple farina dessert is delicious and when made in a pressure cooker, quite easy.
| Cook Time 5 minutes | NPR & Time to Pressure 20 minutes | |
| Total Time 30 minutes | Course Desserts | Cuisine Indian |
| Servings 4 | Calories 226kcal | Author Zeeshan |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (86.5 g) farina, cream of wheat
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar or sugar equivalent
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Ground Cardamom
- 3-4 (3 ) saffron strands + 1 teaspoon sugar, ground together
- 1/4 cup (45 g) Ghee, or oil
- 3/4 cup (187.5 g) Water
- Ghee for greasing pan, or oil
Instructions
- Grease a 6-inch x 4-inch pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together farina, sugar, cardamom and the saffron-sugar mixture.
- Add water and ghee and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the greased pan and cover with a silicone lid or foil.
- Pour 1.5 cups of water in the inner liner of the Instant Pot. Place a high steamer rack on top of this. Place the cover pan on the rack.
- Set the Instant pot to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. At the end of the cook time, let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes and then release all remaining pressure.
- Using silicone mitts, remove the inner pot. Use a fork or spoon to fluff up the halva and stir it around really well. You’re doing this to spread the cardamom and saffron throughout the halva. As you stir, you will see the grains start to separate, and the halva takes on a yellow-orange tinge from the saffron.
- Once the halva has been broken up and the spices are mixed in, the halva is ready to serve.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 226kcal , Carbohydrates:28g , Protein: 2g , Fat: 11g , Fiber: 1g , Sugar: 12g
