Halva
Veg
Vegan
A dense, crumbly confection of ground sesame paste (tahini) sweetened with sugar or honey — often studded with pistachios and served sliced as a sweet snack.
Cuisines
Turkish
Levantine
Persian
Gulf
Best for
Breakfast
Snacks
Recipe
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 40 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1 cup | semolina |
| 1 cup | sugar |
| 1 cup | water |
| 1 cup | milk |
| 0.5 cup | unsalted butter |
| 0.25 cup | pine nuts |
| 1 teaspoon | vanilla extract |
| — | cinnamon for garnish (optional) |
Instructions
- 1 In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, and sugar. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and set aside.
- 2 In a separate large pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- 3 Add the pine nuts to the melted butter and sauté until they are golden brown.
- 4 Stir in the semolina and cook, stirring constantly, until the semolina is golden brown and emits a nutty aroma.
- 5 Gradually pour the warm milk mixture into the semolina, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
- 6 Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir until the mixture thickens and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- 7 Stir in the vanilla extract and mix well.
- 8 Remove from heat, cover the pan with a lid, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- 9 Fluff the halva with a fork and serve warm, garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.
Tips
For a richer flavor, you can substitute part of the water with more milk.