Halwa is a fairly straightforward recipe and comes together rather quickly — but there's no reason we can't explore an international twist on this minimal effort, maximum flavour recipe. The Greek halwa retains the melt-in-your-mouth texture of desi halwa, while going heavy on the cinnamon meets cardamom spice profile, with a heavy dose of nutty goodness. What also sets the Greek halwa apart from a typical Indian halwa recipe, is the zesty handmade syrup used to add sweetness as opposed to just sugar. Let's get into it!
Greek Halwa
Ingredients: Greek olive oil - 1 cup, semolina flour - 2 cups, chopped pistachios - 3/4 cup, almond slivers - 1/2 cup, ground cinnamon for topping; For the syrup — sugar - 2 cups, water - 3 cups, cinnamon sticks - 2, lemon peels - 1 to 2, honey (preferably Greek) - 1tbsp
Method: In a pan, combine all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to a boil. Stir well, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Wait for the sugar to dissolve leaving a clear liquid. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and set the syrup aside. In a soup pot, heat olive oil and add the semolina. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns a beautiful golden color. Once the semolina reaches the desired color, remove it from the heat. Take out the cinnamon sticks and lemon peels from the syrup. Carefully pour the syrup into the pot with the semolina — be careful of the splatter and make sure the steam gets out. Add the chopped nuts and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes until everything is fully mixed together. Grease a cake pan — ideally a bundt pan — with olive oil and dust it with ground cinnamon. Pour the semolina batter into the pan and spread it out evenly. Let it cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve, flip the bundt pan over and sprinkle with more ground cinnamon.
{{/usCountry}}Method: In a pan, combine all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to a boil. Stir well, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Wait for the sugar to dissolve leaving a clear liquid. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and set the syrup aside. In a soup pot, heat olive oil and add the semolina. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns a beautiful golden color. Once the semolina reaches the desired color, remove it from the heat. Take out the cinnamon sticks and lemon peels from the syrup. Carefully pour the syrup into the pot with the semolina — be careful of the splatter and make sure the steam gets out. Add the chopped nuts and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes until everything is fully mixed together. Grease a cake pan — ideally a bundt pan — with olive oil and dust it with ground cinnamon. Pour the semolina batter into the pan and spread it out evenly. Let it cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve, flip the bundt pan over and sprinkle with more ground cinnamon.
{{/usCountry}}(recipe from Lemon & Olives)
Will you be making your next batch of halwa, Greek style?