RAWA (SEMOLINA) HALVA

By Sheila Jacobson

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semolina (farina / cream of wheat)
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 10 cardamom pods, shelled, & seeds ground, or more to taste after halwa is cooked
• 1/3 cup blanched ground almonds
• 1/3 cup sultana raisins
• 2 cups whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 20 whole almonds to decorate

Method:

Bring milk to a low boil, & add saffron. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

When milk with saffron is cooled to room temperature, stir to make milk evenly yellow in color, & leave saffron strands in the milk.

Gently roast semolina in butter for 5-to-7 minutes, until light beige, over medium heat.

Stir in the sugar, ground cardamom, & ground almonds.

Add in the milk-saffron mixture, & raisins.

Cook gently, stirring constantly until dry … about 4-to-6 minutes, over medium heat.

May add & stir-in more ground cardamom if desired.

Spoon out onto serving dish, while still warm, & decorate surface with whole almonds.

Serve with tea, coffee, or milk. Can be refrigerated & eaten the next day, either cold or warmed up.

Sheila Jacobson is a great chef and highly experienced in using saffron. For comments or questions, please contact her at: sheila.jacobson@sympatico.ca