Halawa – Halvah
Original recipe by Bruce Weinstein, modified by Wardee Harmon
Makes about 1-1/2 pounds
Wardee’s note: In the Middle East, both Jewish and Arabic people love this dessert. Arabic people call it Halawa and Jewish people call it Halvah. Everyone calls it healthy and yummy! The commercial varieties, however, are NOT healthy. This version is.
- 1/2 cup untoasted or toasted sesame oil
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup tahini
- 3/4 cup raw agave (or raw honey)
Warm the oil in a large heavy skillet over low heat. Add the flour and stir until the oil and flour are thoroughly combined. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to turn pale brown. Add the tahini and stir until the mixture has a uniform color and consistency. Turn off the heat.
In a separate small saucepan, bring the agave (or honey) to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Immediately add the hot honey to the flour mixture. Stir until the honey is completely incorporated.
Spread the mixture into a small ungreased 5- by 9-inch loaf pan and pack the mixture down with the back of a spatula. Let the halawa cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours or until the pan feels cool. It will shrink back slightly from the edges of the pan as it cools, and should therefore unmold easily when the pan is inverted. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To serve, cut into thin slices.
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I love getting new resources. Thanks for sharing.
I’m going to try the halvah today!
Sounds good but how can it be gluten free?
Whole wheat pastry flour contains gluten.
Oh, my goodness! You’re right… I had it misfiled. All fixed now! Thank you very much for letting me know.
What is the different between sesame seed and tahini? May i ask sesame seed halawah recipes?
Hello! Tahini is ground up sesame seeds. Usually the seeds are roasted. I do not understand your second question, could you explain it to me?
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I will try making this one as soon as I’ll have the time.
Thanks. Your kind of halva will be termed as ‘Sheera’ in India.
There wheat halwa is made with ‘wheat-milk’. After washing and soaking the wheat for overnight you grind the wheat in a grinder or blender using twice the amount of water. The milk is collected after passing the grinded wheat through a fine steel mesh. This liquid wheat-milk needs to be fermented couple days. Then the top watery liquid is discarded and only the paste is used. You need for a cup of this paste 1 1/2 cups of cane sugar crystals, 3/4 cup of clarified butter (ghee) and 1/2 cup of water. Coloring is optional. Mixing various roasted nuts is also optional.
But it takes frequent stirring on low heat and takes over an hour and a half to the finish!