MY FATHER’S SPECIAL RECIPE – HALVA

This recipe was passed down from my father. Dad wasn’t a chef or anything but there were a couple of dishes that he had mastered, and halva was one of them.
It was one of his favourite things to make because of its simplicity.

There are two distinct things I remember about my father, one was his Halva and the other was how he smelt on the morning of Eid, all perfumed upon his return from Eid prayer. When you try this dish, know that it was passed down from an extremely kind and generous man. May Allah (SWT) reward his kindness and generosity.



INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plain flour
½ cup of your choice of sultanas, slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachio nuts
(What ever you have handy in the pantry)

SYRUP
1 cup white sugar
1 cup of water or milk

METHOD

Boil the water or milk and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and put aside. (You will need the syrup to be hot)

In a deep non stick pan heat the oil. Fry off the sultanas until they have just plumped up or if you are using nuts, fry them until just lightly golden.

Add the flour and mix over a medium heat until the flour changes to a golden colour. This could take up to 10 minutes depending on your heat, but be careful not to over cook as it can become bitter if it is close to burning.

Turn the heat to low and slowly add the hot syrup to the fried flour. (Be very careful as this can bubble and splatter. Keep stirring until all the syrup has been absorbed.

Pour the halva into a serving dish and decorate as desired. Before serving you may cut the halva into squares. This can be eaten warm or cold.

This is a quick and easy dish for those last minute meal ideas, and ideal for Ramadhan as it requires little effort.

By the way, the word halva (alternatively halwa, halvah, halava, helva, halawa etc.), originated from the Arabic word meaning (sweet). It is used to describe many distinct types of sweet confection, across the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.

ENJOY!