Ingredients
The halva
- 250 gplain flour
- 250 mlcottonseed or sunflower oil
- or 200 g melted butter
Syrup
- 300 gsugar
- 300 mlwater
- a pinch of salt
Sometimes added
- 1 teaspoonground cardamom
- a pinch of saffron
- 50 gchopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoonrose water
To serve
- flatbread, for dipping
- green tea
- shallow bowls or plates
Directions
- Flour, fat and sugar is the oldest combination. It needs no special equipment at all. Take it off before it goes properly brown. Put the sugar and water in a small pan. Add the pinch of salt to the pan as well.
- Warm it until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring it up to a boil for two minutes only. Keep it hot beside the main pan. Understanding why it must be hot matters here.
- Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Use a medium heat rather than a fierce one. Add the flour to the hot oil all at once. Stir it immediately with a wooden spoon. Stirring it is what takes the effort here. Stir it constantly and without stopping at all.
- Flour sinks and catches within seconds. Give it about fifteen minutes of steady stirring. Add a little more oil if it looks dry. Adding the syrup takes some real care. Take the pan off the heat entirely first. Pour the hot syrup in very slowly indeed. Stand well back as you pour it in. Stir hard the whole time you are pouring. Hot syrup meeting hot oil boils instantly.
- Pour slowly and keep your face well away. Use a long-handled spoon if you have one. Return the pan to a low heat again. Stir it until it is completely smooth. Give it about three or four more minutes. Add the cardamom and saffron if using them.
- Stir in the rose water at the very end. It should pour thickly like a warm sauce. Add a splash of hot water if it is too stiff. Cook it a minute longer if it is too thin. Serving it is done immediately while hot.
- Pour it into shallow bowls or onto plates. Scatter chopped walnuts over the surface. Serve flatbread alongside it for dipping. It sets almost firm if left overnight. Warm it gently with a splash of water to loosen it. It keeps three days in a covered dish.
Technique
- The word halva covers a wide range of sweets: some are sesame paste set into blocks, some are starch set translucent, and some are toasted flour cooked in fat; halvaitar is the loosest form of that last group and is poured rather than cut.
- The flour must be fried slowly in the oil until deep golden and nutty, since under-cooked flour tastes raw and pasty, and the smell is the most reliable guide.
- Hot syrup meeting hot oil boils instantly and throws steam and fat upwards, so pour very slowly, stand well back, keep your face away and stir hard throughout.
Substitutions
- Melted butter can replace the oil, giving a richer and slightly heavier halva.
- Cardamom, saffron and rose water are all optional additions.
Variations
- Some households stir chopped walnuts through it rather than scattering them on top.
- A version left to cool and set firm is cut into pieces instead.
- Similar flour halvas are made right across Central Asia and Iran.
History
The pourable ancestor of set halva, made quickly at home for guests and celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
What is Halvaitar?
Halvaitar is a dessert from Uzbekistan: liquid halva of flour cooked in oil with sugar, poured and eaten warm. The pourable ancestor of set halva, made quickly at home for guests and celebrations.
How long does Halvaitar take to make?
Halvaitar takes 10 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Halvaitar?
Yes, within limits. Melted butter can replace the oil, giving a richer and slightly heavier halva. Cardamom, saffron and rose water are all optional additions.
What is the most important thing to get right in Halvaitar?
Warm it until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring it up to a boil for two minutes only. Keep it hot beside the main pan. Understanding why it must be hot matters here.
