Sooji is an important component of Indian cuisine and is used in many dishes, including halwa, upma, idli, dhokla, and dosa. Despite its significance in the diet, most people buy sooji from stores, where it is often old or contaminated.
Consuming store-bought sooji containing impurities can negatively affect health. However, there is a way to prepare sooji at home. This is especially relevant before the festival of Navratri, when halwa made from sooji is necessarily prepared for the Kanya Puja.
Preparing this product is very simple, and with proper storage, it retains freshness for many months. Below is a simple instruction and secret tips for creating clean, grainy sooji from wheat.
To prepare, you need 2 cups of whole wheat (after cleaning), the required amount of water for soaking and washing, one teaspoon of sunlight or cotton cloth, and a sieve with small and large holes.
First, thoroughly wash and clean the whole wheat. Then, lightly spray the wheat with water and leave it for 15–20 minutes so that the outer layer of the husk becomes slightly moist and relaxed. After this, spread the moist wheat on a cotton cloth and dry it in the wind or under light sun for one to two hours. It is important that the wheat is not completely wet, but only the top surface is dry, while a slight moisture remains inside.
Place the dried wheat into a blender jar. Instead of running the blender continuously, it should be pulsed (on-off) only 2-3 times. This will prevent the wheat from turning into flour and will cause it to break down into fine grains.
The resulting mixture of ground wheat is first sifted through a sieve with large holes to separate large husks and whole grains. Then, the mixture is sifted through a fine mesh sieve. The fine flour that settles at the bottom should be discarded (it can be used for baking bread). The grainy residue left on the sieve is 100% pure and grainy sooji.
To keep the sooji fresh for a long time, it must be lightly roasted in a pan for 2-3 minutes over low heat, without adding oil or ghee. After it cools completely, the sooji should be transferred to a clean, airtight glass jar. In this way, homemade pure sooji will remain fresh for several months.