Food Blog of the Week – Hooked on Heat | This Mama Cooks! On a Diet™

Hookedonheat Hooked on Heat is written by Meena, a creative writer and designer living in Toronto, Ontario. (She’s also writes at Girl en Route.) The blog is entertaining and well written, the photography wonderful, and the layout (especially of the recipes) clean and easy to read.

As she writes, "With my Mom being Malaysian, my Dad an Indian, me growing up in the Middle East and having been in Canada for the last few years, my recipes reflect the eclectic tastes that I have gathered along the way."

Eclectic she is. Like the title says, Girl likes her hot and spicy food as her "Curry Culture" and "I like ‘em Spicy!!" catagories show. While I appreciate a good curry now and then, my palette is pretty wimpy and I love my sweets. Not to worry, Girl has a "For the Sweet Tooth" category as well. (Nutella on croissants? Oh my – better than birthday cake!)

I was especially intrigued with her recipe for Sooji Halwa, an Indian dessert that reminds me of eastern cousin to rice pudding.

Sooji Halwa

Ingredients:

1 cup Sooji (Semolina, also known as grits or Cream of Wheat by us Americans)
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
7-8 green cardamom pods (seeds taken out and crushed)
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp chopped almonds
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Directions:

Heat water in a small pan to dissolve sugar completely. Set aside.
In a non-stick deep pan, heat ghee and add sooji, stirring constantly on low heat till slightly golden.
Add the water-sugar mixture, raisins, and cardamom, and continue to stir till water begins to evaporate and it forms a thick mass.
Mix in almonds and serve warm after a hearty meal!