Indian-style dessert: Semolina Halva
(adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s “Indian Cooking”)

Serves 6

• 1-1/2 cups very hot, almost boiling, water
• 4 Tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil (ghee preferred)
• 3 Tablespoons slivered, blanched almonds, lightly toasted in a pan or in a toaster oven
• 2 cups fine-grained semolina (3 minute cream of wheat is OK too)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2-3 Tablespoons golden raisins
• seeds of 6-8 cardamoms, finely crushed in a mortar and pestle

Have the water simmering and ready for use. Be very careful as you handle the boiling water.

Heat the ghee or oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, or in a small wok. When hot, put in the semolina, turn the heat down to medium-low and gently sauté the semolina for 8-10 minutes until it turns a warm golden color. Do not let it brown, and do not let it burn.

At the sugar and stir it in.

Very slowly and carefully, begin to pour in the boiling water into the pan. Keep stirring as you do so. Take a good 2-3 minutes to do this. When all the water has been added, turn the heat to low. Stir and cook the halva for 5 minutes, add the raisins and almonds, and stir and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir in the crushed cardamom and turn of the heat.

This halva can be served immediately, it can served at room temperature, or it can even be reheated in a microwave.

Many thanks to Ratna Sarkar for this recipe!