Degchi
Sooji (semolina)
Also written: semolina, suji, rava, rawa, shuji
- Urduسوجی
- Hindiसूजी
- Banglaসুজি
Sooji is semolina, the coarse, sandy grain from the heart of wheat. It is sold fine or medium, and it behaves very differently from flour: it does not form a sticky dough on its own, it swells as it soaks up liquid.
It is usually roasted first. Upma dry-roasts 200 g in a pan on low heat for about 5 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant, then stirs it in a thin stream into the pot. Suji Halwa roasts 150 g, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes before the sweet milk goes in.
In dough it adds crunch. Pani Puri kneads semolina with a little all-purpose flour into a stiff dough that rests for 20 minutes, and Fuchka kneads 200 g with only water and rests it the same 20 minutes, so the shells hold a stiff, dry dough. Puri mixes 2 tablespoons into its flour, and Basbousa soaks 250 g of semolina in the batter for 15 minutes so it softens.
The one rule is to pour slowly while you stir, because semolina hitting liquid in a rush clumps at once. Store it in a closed jar, since it picks up moisture and goes stale.
Recipes that use it
7 of our 247 recipes call for sooji (semolina). Here are a few to start with.