Shared by Nilou and Chantal Ghalchi
Shared by Nilou and Chantal Ghalchi
Persian Halva with Rosewater and Saffron
Yield: 20 servingsTime: 1 hour + 3 hours setting time
Persian Halva with Rosewater and Saffron
Yield: 20 servingsTime: 1 hour + 3 hours setting timeFamily Journey
TehranLos AngelesPort Washington, NY
Great Neck, NYBrooklyn
In the Ghalchi family, momentous occasions like weddings, births, and even funerals are marked by the presence of halva, an Iranian confection made of wheat flour, rosewater, and saffron. The family’s matriarch Nilou adds cardamom to hers, as well as more water than is typical — “I believe the water I add makes it much fluffier,” she explains. Chantal, her daughter, says that when she was growing up, her mother didn’t make halva often, but when she did, she’d eat it while still hot, straight from the pan — the Persian equivalent of licking the batter off a spoon.
Read more about Nilou Ghalchi’s family story in "" and get her recipes for (Persian beef, celery and herb stew) and (Persian chickpea dumplings.)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ scant cups sugar
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoons ground saffron
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅓ cup rosewater
- 1 cup slivered, toasted almonds, to garnish
- Dried rose petals, to garnish
Preparation
Step 1
Pour the sugar into a small pot over medium heat and cover with 3 cups of water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Let the mixture cook, bubbling, for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has thickened slightly and you are left with 2 cups simple syrup.
Step 2
Toast the flour: Add the flour to a large pot over medium heat, and let it start toasting, around 10 minutes. The flour will begin to turn gold, then darken in color and smell “roasted.” Stir with a wooden spoon while it toasts, using the spoon to break up any clumps of flour that form. Once toasted, remove the flour from the heat and quickly pour into a sifter set over a bowl. Sift the flour and set aside.
Step 3
Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of boiling water over the ground saffron; cover and let bloom for 5 minutes. Lightly heat the cup of oil in a small, separate pot over medium heat.
Step 4
Add the toasted, sifted flour back to the pot over low-medium heat. Slowly and carefully pour the boiling oil into the flour, adding it in 3-4 additions, and mixing with a wooden spoon to combine.
Step 5
Now, add the simple syrup: slowly pour the simple syrup into the flour and oil mixture and begin to mix vigorously to combine. Do this in 3-4 additions, only pouring in the next round once all of the simple syrup has been absorbed by the flour. The mixture will get thicker and harder to stir, forming a sort of dough; use elbow grease to bring it together.
Step 6
Once the simple syrup has been added, add the saffron water, cardamom, and rosewater to the halva, mixing vigorously once again to combine. The texture will be similar to pate a choux.
Step 7
Cover the halva and place on low heat, cooking until you see oil start to separate and appear on top, around 2 minutes.
Step 8
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add the slivered almonds and toast for 1-2 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat.
Step 9
Pour the halva into a 9x13” pan, shaking the pan to evenly distribute the halva to all corners. Top with the slivered almonds and dried rose petals. Let sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours, until the halva has cooled and the texture has hardened slightly on the outside and the inside remains somewhat crumbly.
Step 10
You should be able to pinch a piece off and have the top bounce back. It will hold its shape. Cut into cubes and serve with tea.
