Simple Sesame Halva

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Halva, halwa, halawa or halvah, can carry all sorts of flavours: cardamom, rose water, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, etc. Experiment! You can layer or marble different flavours, as in the picture.

My tahini comes in 12 oz jars. I take the lid off the tahini jar; stir well, then zap in the microwave for about 1 minute at full (800W) power.

Boil the sugar, water and lemon juice (or citric acid) with flavourings to a ``soft ball '' syrup (240 °F; 115 °C). Let the syrup cool, undisturbed, for a couple of minutes, while you warm the tahini to about 50 °C; 120 °F. Add the warmed tahini to the hot, flavoured sugar syrup, beating all the while.

Beat the mixture well as you add sesame to syrup; then, once all is combined, knead until the mixture begins to set. This promotes the formation of sugar crystals (as in fudge making ), which give your halva the flaky character it should have.

Put the warm mixture into an oiled cake tin (either with a press-out base, or lined with baking paper) or plastic container. Once cool, seal to keep out any moisture and leave in the fridge for 36 hours (this allows the sugar crystals, which give halva its distinctive texture, time to grow). Cut while cold, with a sharp knife. Wrapped in cling-film (saran-wrap), halva will keep for weeks, if you can resist temptation.

Concerned about diet?Don't worry, we have it on good authority that, Halva is good for you!

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