Tahini Halva Recipe

This Sankranti, bring a twist to tradition!  Make Tahini Halva- as delightful as the conventional chikki and til laddoo. The same ingredients dance to a different tune and the taste and flavours remain quintessentially Indian. 

 So, let's whip up a batch of Tahini or Israeli halva or halvah that tantalizes the taste buds with a distinctly Indian charm. You do not need a candy thermometer if you follow my recipe. 

This addictive halwa is very common in the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, the Middle East the Balkans and Poland. We love it as it has a soft sandy texture. The variations to this recipe are what I had seen on our tour of Israel.

The other festive delights for Sankranti are  Til/Sesame Seeds Chikki, Shenga Holige Recipe, Til/Sesame Seeds Laddo, Gajak Recipe, Peanut Jaggery Ladoo

Ingredients

These are your ingredients for quantities please check the recipe card.

• Tahini 
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Sugar
• Water
• Pistachios (optional)

Instructions

• Toast the pistachios on low flame on the stovetop stirring constantly. You can also spread them in an oven preheated at 150C/300F for 10 minutes
  • Whichever method you follow, toast until lightly golden and aromatic.
  • Transfer the pistachios to a plate. Cool and coarsely chop.

• Line a tray with parchment paper. Keep an overhang. Sprinkle some of the toasted pistachios on the parchment paper.  
• Mix the tahini, vanilla extract, salt and chopped pistachios in a bowl. 
• In a small bowl add some cold water and set aside. This is the water in which we will test the sugar syrup.
• In a small pan add the water and sugar. Stir and dissolve most of the sugar.
• Bring the sugar and water mixture to a boil. Keep the flame low-medium. Stir occasionally to help the sugar dissolve completely.
• Now take about a quarter of a teaspoon of syrup and drop the cold water. You should be able to fish out the sugar and form soft sticky ball. 
• If yes, get the pan off the flame. If not continue heating the syrup.
• Stir the tahini mixture and gradually add the sugar syrup to the tahini mixture. Mix constantly.
• Mix till the mixture comes together and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Do not give in to the temptation of mixing more your halva will crumble.
• Quickly transfer all the halva to the prepared plate.
• Smoothen to the edges and the top. Let the halva cool to room temperature. 
• Cover with calling film and chill for atleast 2 hours.
• Use the overhang and get the halva out of the pan.
• Flip on a cutting board then use a sharp knife to slice as desired.
• Serve with coffee.

Substitutions

• I have used sugar in place of the original ingredient honey. Honey as per Ayurveda you do not heat so I did not use it. But feel free to use honey.
• You can use readymade tahini I have used homemade tahini.
• To make tahini, I used 1 ½ cups of sesame seeds and I needed 6 tablespoon of oil.
  • Roast the sesame seeds on the stovetop. Since the seeds are very small roasting in the oven is not advisable.
  • In the chutney grinder, grind the sesame seeds to a crumbly mix. Add oil as needed till you get free-flowing tahini.

Variations

• I used toasted pistachio nuts only but rose and pistachio is a popular combo.
• For an Indian touch fold a mixture of roasted and coarsely crushed almonds and pistachios in the tahini paste. 1 cup of almonds to ½ cup of pistachios is a good proportion. You can adjust the quantities to suit your taste. 
• Roast a cup of cashews until golden brown, chop coarsely or grind them into a paste into your tahini halva mixture. 
• Or roast and coarsely frind a cup of peanuts and some spice like cardamon, cinnamon or chilli powder in the tahini paste. 
• Fold in Cardamom powder to the tahini mixture.
• You can also add poppy seeds to the tahini mixture.
• Mix in melted chocolate in the ready halva and mix quickly. If it leaves streaks it will look very pretty too.
• Add lemon zest to the sugar syrup.

Serve slices of halva with tea. But I loved this yum suggestion in NYT Cooking

Eat it on its own cut into little pieces with a cup of tea, or dip cubes of it in chocolate and top with sesame seeds to serve as an elegant confection at the end of a fancy dinner party. —Melissa Clark

Equipment

• Non-stick tava/skillet
• Spatula
• Bowls
• Pan to boil the sugar
• Parchment paper
• Mould
• Knife and board
• Airtight container to store

Storage

• Halva can be made and stored for about 3 weeks. So go ahead and make it ahead for the next party.
•  Store in an airtight container and chill.

Pro Tips

• Roast the nuts well on low flame.
• Use fresh tahini store bought one is fine.
• If you plan to make the tahini at home roast the sesame seeds on low flame till they splutter.
• Mix until the sugar syrup and tahini mixture comes together. When it begins to pull away from the bowl's sides stop stirring Stirring extra will give you crumbly halva.

FAQ

• What is halva and how do you eat it?

  

  Halva tastes sweet and is eaten as a snack with tea, coffee, wine and bread. Eat halva any time of the day.  Halawa is a Middle Eastern dessert that is used as a topping for other desserts or stuffed in pita bread.

• How is halva traditionally eaten?

  

  The texture of halva can be anything from soft that can spread to hard and brittle. You can spoon the halva or cut it. Soft or semi-soft halva can be cut with a sharp knife.

• Is Halawa the same as halva?

  

  Yes, hawala is made from tahini and generally, sweets are called halva or halvah in the Middle East.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favourite dishes to serve with Tahini Halva:

To Summarise:

During Sankranti, try this tantalizing Tahini Halva. It adds a sweet note to your celebrations. Happy Sankranti!

Tahini Halva Recipe

 Halvah is a tahini-based sweet confection with a smooth but sandy texture. Make some today.

4.63 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranian Cuisine, Middle Eastern

Keyword: halvah, Halwa, Israeli halva, Tahini

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cooling time:: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 450 grams

Calories: 148kcal

Author: ArchanaPotdar

1x2x3x

Share by Email

Equipment

• 1 Non-stick tava/skillet
• 1 Spatula
• 1 Bowls
• 1 Plate/tray
• Parchment paper
• Knife and board
• Airtight container to store

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups tahini at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup nuts

Instructions

• On a low temperature on the skillet, toast the pistachios, stirring regularly. You may alternatively bake them for 10 minutes at 150°C/300°F in a preheated oven. Regardless of the method, toast until gently browned and aromatic.
• Place the pistachios on a platter and set them aside. Allow to cool before chopping roughly.
• In a mixing dish, combine the tahini, vanilla extract, salt, and chopped pistachios.
• Place some cold water in a small basin and set it aside. This is the water in which the sugar syrup firm ball stage will be tested.
• Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. The majority of the sugar is dissolved by stirring.
• Bring the sugar and water to boil.
• Bring the combination of sugar and water to a boil. Maintain a low-to-medium flame. Stir the sugar occasionally to ensure that it dissolves thoroughly.
• Take a quarter teaspoon of syrup and drop it into the cold water. You should be able to remove the sugar ball and it should be a sticky paste.
• If this is the case, remove the pan from the heat.
• Stir the tahini mixture and add the sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream. Constantly mix.
• Mix until the mixture comes together and begins to pull away from the bowl's sides. If you give in to the urge of adding extra ingredients to the mix, your halva will collapse.
• Quickly transfer all the halva into the prepared platter.
• Smoothen to the edges and the top. Let the halva cool to room temperature.
• Cover with calling film and chill for atleast 2 hours.
• Use the overhang and get the halva out of the pan. Flip on a cutting board then use a sharp knife to slice as desired.
• Serve.

Notes

FAQs:

• What is halva and how do you eat it?

Halva tastes sweet and is eaten as a snack with tea, coffee, wine, bread. Eat halva any time of the day.  Halawa is a Middle Eastern dessert that is used as a topping for other desserts or stuffed in pita bread.

• How is halva traditionally eaten?

The texture of halva can be anything from soft that can spread to hard and brittle. You can spoon the halva or cut it. Soft or semi-soft halva can be cut with a sharp knife.

• Is Halawa the same as halva?

Yes, hawala is made from tahini and generally, sweets are called halva or halvah in the Middle East.

Nutritional Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Please check with your nutritionist for your dietary needs and restrictions. Ultimately you are responsible for your decisions.