Bahraini Halwa

                                                                                                                       Receta en español

Halwa is an Arabic word that means sweet.

It is a dessert wide spreaded throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, India and even European countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Bosnia...,so far I've avoided to make this recipe because I thaught it would have a chewy texture.

In Bahrain Halwa is the staple dessert ,besides, they have their own halwa recipe. I should try this time making the halwa recipe.
It has been a nice surprise, it is not chewy, it is gelly like, very tasty and easy to eat.

Most Halwa are made from semolina flour , but Bahrain's recipe differs in that it is cooked with corn starch and canola oil.

Bahraini Halwa  is a variation of the halwa made in Oman, most Bahraini shops where this sweet  is sold ,are run by the Showaiter dynasty, so the recipe that I bring you today is called in Bahrain "Halwa Showaiter" but in other countries it is called  Bahraini Halwa.
It is usually taken with coffee and is widely consumed during the three days of Eid after Ramadan.

In the following link you can see how they make this sweet in Bahrain: Halwa Showaiter.

Ingredients (for a 24 cm diameter recipent):

•   800 grams sugar.
•   1200ml water.
•   4 teaspoos lemon juice.
•   60 grams butter.
•   2 tablespoons grounded cardamon.
•   1 tablespoon nutmeg.
•   10 saffron threads.
•   120 grams corn starch.
•   1 dose food coloring, this is optional, I didn't use it.
•   330 ml canola oil.
•   2 tablespoos Rosewater.
•   150 grams raw pistachios.
•   130 grams raw almonds.
•   100 grams nuts.
•   3 tablespoons raw sesame seeds.

Method:

1-   Infuse saffron in a cup with 240 ml of boiling water: I use the microwave to quickly boil water, put the saffron into the boiling water and let stand for one hour. 

2-   Toast almonds and pistachios in a saucepan without oil, we toast them during 5 minutes at low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Before toasting:

Toasted:

Add nuts:

3-   Put the sugar in a large pot with 960 ml water, saffron infusion and lemon juice , boil over medium heat , when it reaches boiling point, reduce heat to low, stir and cover the pot, cook for 5 minutes.

4-   Add Little by Little canola oil and stir well,  cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

5-   While the previous mix is cooking, prepare Brown butter : Put the butter in a pot and heat over medium heat during 2-3 minutes, until butter is melted.

6- Still over low heat add cardamom and nutmeg into the pot with butter:

7- Add rose water , coloring liquid (optional) and 240 ml water. Add corn starch little by little, quickly stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps.

8- After the 30 minutes cooking of point 4 are finished, add litle by little the mix obtained at point 6 into the pot of point number 4,stir in circles and cook during 15 minutes over low heat.
There will be big bubbles, be careful not to burn, we see that the mix thickens becoming a gelly, when it reaches that point , put aside and remove with a spoon the excess of oil that you can see at the surface.

9- Put again the pot over low heat and add the dried fruits (except the sesame), stir well and cook during 5 more minutes.

After that pour the mix in the recipent where you want to present the dessert.
Sprinkle over the Surface sesame seeds.

It can be eaten cold or warm, both ways it is delicious!.

My Comments to the Recipe

As I said before, I was astonished by its gelly texture . It may be too much sweet, because of this you should eat it by little portions, despite of that it is tasty with a special flavour given by the spices.

Where to buy the ingredients in Madrid

Sesame seeds can be found at herbalist's shops.
The rest of the ingredients you can see where to buy them following the links.

Rose water
Canola oil

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools



Bahrain