Sheero for the Indian Mother's Soul

In the state of Gujarat (the home state of my parents), Sheero is a sweet food (called prasad) that is offered to the deities and then distributed among the guests at the end of many religious ceremonies. I remember going to these ceremonies (or pujas) when I was younger and enjoying the taste of it at the end of another long, unintelligible Hindu ceremony.  It was a reward for sitting through an Indian function that I probably did not want to attend in the first place.

Sheero does not have the religious connotations for me anymore, but rather it has become my comfort food.  The tasty treat reminds me of the admirable woman that my mom is.  After my son was born, my mom came to stay with us and helped me with my son and with household chores for several months.  I would not have survived without her.  During this time, she made sheero for me every week because it is one of my favorites.  I am grateful for the family recipes and traditions that my mom has passed down to me.

Sheero is soft, fluffy, and rich and made of roasted cream of wheat mixed with milk, butter, sugar, cardamom, and almonds.  Many people add raisins and you can add fruits such as banana, grapes, apples and pineapple to give it a sweet and fruity flavor.   I love my mom's simple recipe the best, of course.  My mom has learned over the years to exclude raisins from almost everything if she expects me to eat it.  I like raisins on their own but for some reason, I don't like them mixed into my food.

Sheero Recipe

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Ravo or Sooji from the Indian store --> substitute cream of wheat from supermarket
• one stick unsalted butter --> my mom uses 1/2 cup of ghee
• 4 cups hot low-fat milk  --> my mom uses whole milk and others use water
• a little less than 1 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  
• 1 teaspoon saffron

Preparation :

1. Place non-stick pot over medium heat and melt the butter.
2. Pour one cup ravo/sooji/cream of wheat and stir continuously for about 12 minutes, or until the mixture becomes slightly pinkish-beige in color.
   
3. Add hot milk (pre-heat in microwave) and stir.  The mixture may bubble so keep your body turned away from the pot.  Stir until the milk is absorbed.
   
4. Add sugar and keep stirring.  Do not let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot.
   
5. By now, the sheero will be soft and fluffy.  Add cardamom powder, chopped almonds, and saffron and stir.  
6. Turn off the stove and keep the pot covered for about 5 minutes.