Diya's Food Diaries

*GREEK HALVA RECIPE (SEMOLINA PUDDING WITH RAISINS)*

Traditional Greek halva recipe – “1:2:3:4” Ready!

The traditional semolina based Greek Halvas  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! If you haven’t tried semolina Greek halva before, you will be surprised by the delicious taste of those 4 humble ingredients, when combined.. When preparing a Greek halva recipe, the semolina is firstly toasted in oil, bringing an irresistible smell and then soaked in hot syrup, with the aromas and blends of cinnamon and clove. Simply delicious! So if you are looking for a delicious no-dairy, no-butter and egg-free dessert, that’s the one!

_Traditional Greek halva recipe_ – *Tips*

Toast the semolina in the oil until it becomes golden brown. For the oil mixture I always choose to combine vegetable oil with olive oil for extra flavour, but you can use only vegetable oil if you prefer. Allow the semolina to darken and get fragrant, but be careful not to over toast it or else it will burn and the halva will become bitter. Once you toast the semolina, remove the pot from the stove and add your hot syrup. (Be really careful, as the halva mixture is very hot!). When preparing the syrup for this halva recipe, you should never blend or stir the syrup to prevent it from getting grainy. Just bring to the boil, let the sugar dissolve in the hot water and boil for a few minutes, until it slightly thickens. Then you should cook the halva until it thickens a lot. You need to cook the halva, until almost solid, as it won’t solidify much more after cooling. Don’t forget to stir the mixture during the whole process. Allow the halva to cool for about 1 1/2 hour before serving, in order to become easily sliceable. Enjoy!

_For the halva_

    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/2 cup corn oil
    2 cups semolina (1 1/2 cup coarse and 1/2 cup thin)
    1/4 of a cup blond raisins (optional)
    1 cup almond slivers (optional)

_For the syrup_

    3 cups of sugar (or 2 cups sugar and 1 cup honey)
    4 cups of water
    1 tsp grounded cinnamon
    1 whole clove (optional)

*Instructions*

    To prepare this delicious Greek halva recipe, start by preparing the syrup. Add all the ingredients into a pan over high heat and bring to the boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup slightly thickens. Set aside, but keep warm.
    In the meantime, roast the almond silvers into the oven at 180C. Although the traditional Greek halva recipe doesn’t include almonds, it’s always a nice addition, which gives extra flavour and crunchiness.
    To prepare the halva heat the oil in a large pot and add gradually the semolina. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to allow the semolina to absorb the oil. When the semolina starts to bubble, turn the heat down and allow to toast until golden (whilst constantly stirring). The more you toast the mixture for the halva, the darker it will become. So be careful not to over toast it, as the semolina will burn and the halva will become bitter.
    Remove the pot from the stove and pour in the warm syrup. Stir with a wooden spoon and return the pot on the stove. Cook the halva (whilst stirring) until the mixture thickens and pulls away easily from the sides of the pan.
    Remove the pot from the stove, add the raisins and half of the roasted almond slivers and blend. Cover the halva with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. Pour the halva mixture into a pudding mold or into individual bowls.
    Allow to cool for about 1 1/2 hour before serving. Garnish with some cinnamon powder and sprinkle with the rest almond slivers. If you can’t hold yourself for so long, then spoon into individual bowls and serve warm with a full-spoon of vanilla ice cream!