Halva means “sweet confection” in Arabic and is a traditional fasting food in the Mediterranean referring to a huge variety of confections, with the most geographically common variety based on toasted semolina. It’s egg and dairy free but also really easy to make. The recipe is often referred as “1:2:3:4″, as it calls for one unit oil, two semolina, three sugar and four water. So simple!
Vegan Semolina Pudding or Greek Halva
Ingredients
Ingredients
Instructions
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Prepare the syrup: Add water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and the lemon peel into a pot over medium heat and bring to boil for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup slightly thickens. Set aside, but keep warm. Remove the lemon peel, cinnamon and clove before using.
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In a deep pot, on medium heat add the oil, the almonds and the semolina. Constantly stir (preferably with a wooden spatula) until the semolina colour changes from golden blonde to deep golden.
The more you toast the mixture, the darker it will become. Just be careful not to over toast it. -
Remove the pot from the heat and slowly add the hot syrup in batches, stirring continuously until the semolina absorbs all the liquid and the mixture thickens.
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Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and cover the halva with a towel to let it rest for 10 minutes.
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Spoon the mixture into a pudding mould or individual bowls. Allow halva to cool to room temperature.
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Turn over the mould onto a cake platter and dust halva with cinnamon. Serve.
Notes
- The cup used in this recipe holds 90 ml.
- I used a pudding mould of 400 ml capacity (14 cm outer diameter) but you can use also individual bowls.
- After the 1st day, keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- I will always remember the irresistible smell of almonds and toasted semolina when my beloved Aunt Katina was preparing this dessert in my parents' house.