Halva
A Greek semolina halva toasted in olive oil and cooked with a cinnamon and clove syrup, set in a mould in 35 minutes.
Photograph credit: Halva by yilmazfatih · Pixabay Content License · Pixabay
Before You Start
Remember the 1, 2, 3, 4 proportions.
Stir the semolina constantly while toasting.
Stand back when the syrup goes in.
How to Make Halva
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Simmer the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves for 5 minutes. Keep hot.
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Warm the oil in a wide pan, stir in the semolina and toast over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until hazelnut brown.
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Add the almonds for 1 minute. Take off the heat and carefully pour in the hot syrup, standing back.
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Stir over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until thick and pulling away from the sides.
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Press into a mould, cool and turn out. Dust with the ground cinnamon.
Why the Method Works
Oil, semolina, sugar, water: these are the four things that make halva, and the proportions are easy to remember: 1, 2, 3, 4. One part oil, two parts semolina, three parts sugar and four parts water, by volume, give a perfect halva every time. This is the Greek Lenten pudding, and it needs no eggs and no milk.
Warm the oil in a wide pan and stir in the semolina over medium heat. Toast the semolina for 10 to 12 minutes until it turns the colour of a hazelnut, stirring all the time, as it burns if left. At the same time, simmer the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves for 5 minutes into a syrup.
Add the almonds to the toasted semolina, then take it off the heat and pour in the hot syrup, standing back as it spits. Stir over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until it thickens and pulls from the sides. Press into a mould, cool and turn out. Dust with cinnamon. It keeps for a week in a cool place and is cut in slices, eaten at room temperature.
Storage and Reheating
Keeps for 1 week in a cool place.
What to Serve Alongside
- Greek coffee
- Vanilla ice cream
- Walnuts
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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