Halwa recipe

A translucent amber jelly of corn starch, caramelised sugar and ghee, stirred without stopping until it pulls away from the pan.

2 hours and 10 minutesmedium8 ingredients

Ingredients

• 200 g corn starch
• 500 g sugar
• 250 g ghee
• 1000 ml water
• 2 tbsp rose water
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 100 g cashews

How to make Halwa

1. Whisk 200 g of corn starch into 1000 ml of cold water until no lump is left, and set aside.
2. Melt 500 g of sugar with 1000 ml of water and cook 10 to 15 minutes until the syrup takes an amber colour.
3. Soak a pinch of saffron in 2 tablespoons of rose water.
4. Pour the starch slurry into the hot syrup in a thin stream, whisking hard and without pause to keep it smooth.
5. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for 45 minutes to an hour, until the paste turns translucent and pulls away from the sides. Omani halwa is never a semolina cake: the texture comes only from this long stirring.
6. Add 250 g of ghee one tablespoon at a time, letting each be absorbed before the next.
7. Stir in the saffron rose water, 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom and 100 g of cashews, and cook 10 minutes more.
8. Pour into a dish, cool to room temperature and serve in small pieces with bitter black coffee.

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