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Sweet sheera – Halwa

The word halwa is derived from the Arabic word ‘Hulw’, which means sweet. According to some legends, the method of cooking halwa originated during the Ottoman Empire (1520 to 1566). Back then Suleiman, the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the empire, maintained a separate kitchen only for sweet items and halwa was one of them. This sweet Turkish delight was prepared by the helvahâneli (confectioner) with three basic ingredients: starch, fat and sweetener. Some say the grain and nut-based helva (as the Turkish called it) traces its history to Byzantine empire sometime before the 12th century CE. Food historians claim that the first known recipe of halwa appeared in the 13th century Arabic Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Dishes) written by Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Karīm. The book mentions eight varieties of halwa recipes.

Among these recipes, the common factor is the way in which sugar is used—first dissolved in water, followed by heating and then converting it into tile-like stacks. Where ingredients like dates, and nuts are added for texture, cardamon, camphor, and rose water work as aromatics.

Meanwhile in Egypt, the ‘halawa’ is a truffle-shaped dish and is primarily prepared with ghee, flour, and sugar.

Perfect for this Recipe
Emigrain Regular Semolina Coarse
Perfect for this Recipe
Semolina Roasted Coarse
Perfect for this Recipe
Semolina Roasted Fine

Flour:

For Roasting:

  • 2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
  • 7 cashew / kaju, halves
  • 2 tbsp raisins / kishmish
  • ½ cup rava / semolina / suji, coarse

Other Ingredients :

  • 1½ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup ghee / clarified butter
  • 3 drops yellow food colour
  • ½ tsp cardamom powder