The authentic Persian Halva

The Persian/Iranian halva is made of a few ingredients, and it looks like an easy to prepare sweet but, believe me, this one is one of the most difficult recipes of Persian cuisine.

The color, the consistency, the timing of adding syrup, the heat of the flour at the time of adding syrup… all of these are important factors to know while cooking an authentic Persian halva. I messed up so many times while trying to create this recipe! lol and they weren’t cheap mistakes, If you follow the recipe strictly I’m sure you will have the right halva! Good luck : ))

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Ingredients | 4-5 servings

• 200g/7oz Whole Wheat Flour
• 110g/3.8oz Brown Dark Sugar
• 1/2 cup Rose water
• 1tsp Ground Saffron
• 100g/3.8oz Water
• 100g/3.8oz Clarified Butter
• a handful of Almond & Pistachios for decoration

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Choose the right pan

For the Pan: choose any type of pan between aluminum, copper, steel, etc. But not coated with Teflon or other non-stick materials that are made of chemics. Because the pan will get very hot and we don’t want to risk those materials become carcinogenic.

Making syrup

– Start with mixing rose water and saffron in a small cup and let them be for ⏳ 20 minutes so the saffron completely gives its color and flavors to the mix.

– Prepare the syrup by mixing water and sugar, boil, then turn it off. Pour in the mix of saffron and the syrup is ready.

Making Halva

– In a pan on medium heat toast the flour. No oil is required for now. This step takes up to ⏳10 minutes or even more.

– Stay near the pan and stir continuously. After a while, Its color turns darker and the scent of the toasted flour spread in room along with a white smock coming out of the pan, the pan becomes very hot. Arriving at this point, continue to stir for another ⏳ 2-3 minutes then turn off the heat.

– Add clarified butter and continue to stir.

Now comes the most important step: Adding the syrup.

It’s essential that the pan’s temperature isn’t too hot. Because if it is, the flour will absorb all the syrup and grows in size and we’ll have a dough-like mix, which is far from the traditional halva. The main characteristic of Persian halva is a slightly “Flour-like texture” (حلوا آردی) not doughy.

Try to splash some drops of water inside the pan. If it sizzles very lively don’t add the syrup yet. The pan should be hot but not extremely hot!

– Pour the syrup. At first, the mixture seems a bit runny but continue to stir.

– Set the heat to lowest. The color should be very dark, stir gently until the halva arrives at the consistency of a dense cream. The flour hadn’t doubled in size and the syrup is perfectly mixed.

The right consistency of Persian halva

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How to serve

Halva, usually, is served on a flat dish with some decorations on top. So while it’s still warm transfer it to the serving dish. In room temperature halva becomes more solid and it’s easier to decorate. We made circles with a small glass and used almonds slices and grated pistachios for garnishing and decorations.

Notes

• In the old times which sugar wasn’t accessible for everyone, Persian Halva was made of grape syrup (شیره انگور). A very dense, dark liquid made of grapes. So a darker sugar is perfect for this recipe (I used a mix of muscovado and brown sugar)
• In Iran, Halva is usually made for mourning periods and is cooked in much bigger proportions. It’s served on small/medium flat plates and is distributed among the people. Usually neighbors.
• Halva with Chai (black tea) is the match of life! (and with Barbari Bread is the end of the world! lol)
• If you like you can also add cardamom to the syrup, I personally think it is not necessary.

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Enjoy ☺️