Xalwo

Ingredients

Base

• 500 gcornflour
• 1.5 litreswater
• 1 kgsugar
• 500 mlwater, for the syrup

Fat

• 400 gghee, or clarified butter

Flavour

• 2 tspground cardamom
• 1 tspground cinnamon, optional
• a generous pinch of saffron
• 2 tbsprosewater
• a few drops of food colouring, traditionally

To add

• 150 gpeanuts, or almonds, or pistachios

Equipment

• a very large heavy pot
• a long strong wooden spoon
• a greased tray

To serve

• at weddings, Eid and celebrations

Directions

1. Use a deep heavy pot, a long spoon, and keep children out of the kitchen. Do not lean over the pot. Whisk it smooth while the water is cold, since cornflour added to hot liquid seizes into lumps instantly and they never disperse.
2. Strain it if there is any doubt. Boil the sugar with the second measure of water until it dissolves and thickens slightly. Pour the cornflour mixture into the syrup, stirring hard. Set it over a medium heat and stir constantly from this moment on. From here you do not stop stirring.
3. Add it a ladleful at a time, beating each addition in completely before the next. Add the ghee gradually and let each amount be absorbed. There is a great deal of ghee and it goes in over twenty minutes or more.
4. Add the rosewater off the heat, since its aroma evaporates immediately. Now work fast, because it sets as it cools.
5. Tip it into a greased tray and spread it quickly with a greased spatula. Spread it while it is still hot and moving, since within a few minutes it becomes too stiff to level.
6. Let it cool completely and set at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it, which makes it hard and dulls the flavour.
7. Serve it in small pieces with Somali tea, shaah, which is spiced and sweet. It keeps several weeks at room temperature in a sealed container, which is why it is made in quantity for celebrations.

Technique

• It is traditionally made by men at weddings, stirring in shifts.
• The ghee separating at the edges is the sign it is done.
• It keeps for weeks at room temperature.

Substitutions

• Butter in place of ghee, though ghee is what it should be.
• Any nuts, and peanuts are the most common.

Variations

• With peanuts, which is the most common.
• Made with dates worked through it.
• Coloured differently, which varies by region and family.

History

From Arabic halwa, made with cornstarch, sugar, ghee and cardamom; a wedding sweet, historically thickened by Yemeni confectioners on the coast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xalwo?

Xalwo is a dessert from Djibouti: gelatinous sugar, ghee and cardamom sweet served at celebrations. From Arabic halwa, made with cornstarch, sugar, ghee and cardamom; a wedding sweet, historically thickened by Yemeni confectioners on the coast.

How long does Xalwo take to make?

Xalwo takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 tray. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Xalwo?

Yes, within limits. Butter in place of ghee, though ghee is what it should be. Any nuts, and peanuts are the most common.

What is the most important thing to get right in Xalwo?

Use a deep heavy pot, a long spoon, and keep children out of the kitchen. Do not lean over the pot. Whisk it smooth while the water is cold, since cornflour added to hot liquid seizes into lumps instantly and they never disperse.