Persian Halva

Name: Persian Halva
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 200 g sugar; 240 ml water; 120 ml rosewater; ½ tsp ground saffron, bloomed in 3 tbsp hot water; ½ tsp ground cardamom; 260 g all-purpose flour (about 2 cups); 180 ml melted butter, ghee or neutral oil; 2 tbsp slivered pistachios and almonds, to decorate

Toasted flour halva with saffron and rosewater · حلوا

10 min Prep
30 min Cook
8 Servings
Medium

Flour toasted slowly in butter until nutty and golden, then cooked with saffron-rosewater syrup into a dense, fragrant sweet.

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Persian halva is nothing like the sesame halva sold in blocks. It is made from flour toasted in butter or oil and cooked with a syrup of saffron and rosewater until it forms a soft, dense paste.

Halva is closely tied to remembrance: it is made for funerals and memorials, on Thursday evenings for the departed, and as nazri during Ramadan. It is spread on a plate, smoothed, and decorated with patterns pressed in with a spoon and scattered nuts.

Ingredients

Servings 8

Syrup

200 g sugar (7 oz)
240 ml water (1 cup)
120 ml rosewater (½ cup)
½ tsp ground saffron, bloomed in 3 tbsp hot water
½ tsp ground cardamom

Halva

260 g all-purpose flour (about 2 cups) (9 oz)
180 ml melted butter, ghee or neutral oil (¾ cup)
2 tbsp slivered pistachios and almonds, to decorate

Instructions

Make the syrup: dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat, simmer 3 minutes, then stir in the rosewater, saffron and cardamom and keep warm.
Toast the flour in a dry, heavy pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes until it smells nutty and turns light caramel brown. Do not rush this or it will burn.
Add the butter or oil and stir until the flour absorbs it and becomes a smooth, loose paste, about 3 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in the warm syrup (it will spit). Return to low heat and stir hard for 3 to 5 minutes until the halva pulls away from the sides of the pan in one mass.
Spread on a plate, smooth the top, and press patterns into it with the back of a spoon. Decorate with the nuts and serve at room temperature.

Tips & variations

The colour of the toasted flour decides the flavour: pale for a delicate halva, darker for a deeper, more caramel taste.

Where to buy the ingredients

Persian grocers carry the saffron, dried herbs, spices and long-grain rice that Persian cooking depends on:

Rather eat out?

Persian bakeries and sweet shops: