Halva

Halva is a sweet of Arabic origin. It derives from a word in that language that precisely means 'sweet'. It can be found practically throughout the Middle East and the Balkans, including in parts of Russia, Somalia, Pakistan and India. I do not know why so much popularity is due, although I suspect that the use of very common ingredients and the ease in their preparation may be partly to blame.

There are two types of halva: those made with sesame paste (tahini) and those made with semolina.

The sesame halva are very compact, like bricks,  and when you bite into them they have a strange crunchy texture. The semolina ones are much more malleable with a dense pasta appearance. In any case, both are always done following these rules:

1. First the ingredient is cooked to then add the syrup. The ingredient is usually a paste (sesame or semolina) with added nuts.

2. The ingredient ratio is 1: 2: 3: 4. Being 1 the content of oil or butter, 2 the semolina, 3 the sugar and 4 the water. That is, if we use half a cup of oil, we must use a cup of semolina, a cup and a half of sugar and 2 cups of water.

I show you the recipe for semolina halva below. It is the most typical halva of India. There it is usually made with vegetable oil of palm or sesame, although to adapt it to western taste I use olive oil. 

INGREDIENTS (4 people, approximately): 

1. Half a cup of olive oil 
2. 1 cup of semolina 
3. Cup and a half of sugar 
4. 2 cups of water 
5. A handful of peeled almonds (or pistachios, or walnuts, or pine nuts etc. ) 
6. 3 tbps of butter 
7. Extra virgin olive oil

In a saucepan we add a jet of virgin olive oil and heat. We are gradually adding the semolina to fry it and make it turn a golden color (be careful not to burn it!). Reduce the heat and add the butter, stirring until dissolving. 

Next we pour the almonds and we give them a few turns so that they also turn golden. We remove from the heat and reserve.

In another saucepan we are going to prepare the syrup. We heat the water until it boils. We dissolve one cup of sugar (we reserve the other one) and stir well. 

Next we pour the syrup into the toasted semolina, stirring well so that everything is well mixed. We return the saucepan to the fire while stirring and add the remaining cup of sugar (if you do not want it too sweet you can eliminate this second cup). 

When everything is well dissolved and homogeneous (without lumps) you take it out of the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then pour the mixture into a mold and put it in the fridge when it has cooled down.

In 6 hours ready to be tasted.