Jews from Persia (present-day Iran) are especially proud of Queen Esther's role in the holiday of Purim. A favorite dish of Iranian children is halvah, which they eat after they break the fast of Esther, observed on Adar 13. At nursery school, Merissa learned this recipe for halvah from an Iranian teacher. In between tastes, the children played with Esther and Ahasuerus marionettes they had made with the help of their teacher.
Ingredients
Makes about 20 squares
Equipment
Step 1
Adult with Child: In a frying pan, brown the flour over low heat, watching constantly, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Step 2
Child: To the flour, add the sugar, cinnamon, and oil. With the pan off the heat, stir for about 5 minutes, keeping the mixture a light brown color.
Step 3
Adult: Add the water and reheat, stirring for about 5 minutes, until the halvah thickens. Then cover and simmer slowly for 5 minutes more. Fold in the walnuts.
Step 4
Child: Let cool, then cut into squares.
Leave a Review
Reviews (4)
Back to TopThe original Persian Halva recipe is: Brown the flour in pan until golden brown. Then add oil to form it into a paste. In a pot make water/sugar syrup (1 cup ea) and add saffron (a pinch), rose water (few drops). When flour is ready, add the syrup mixture and mix until Halva is departing from the side of the pan.
sholeh, full blooded Persian with 20 yrs of Halva making experience
San Francisco, CA
5/25/2006
halvah can be made of different ingredients. for example my absolute favourite is made of peanuts, it's far much better than these that are made of sesame seeds.
mustikas
Estonia
4/24/2006
wait a minute...where i come from, halvah is a sesame seed candy. where are the sesame seeds in this recipe? guess i'll be buying ready-made halvah instead...
Anonymous
san francisco
2/17/2002
It is sooooo delicious. You should try it! Yum!!!
Winky
?
4/22/1999
