Festive season always invites for some saporous sweets. To all the halva lovers out there - Sesame/ Tahini halva with loads of nuts and fresh fruit toppings is sure to blow your mind off. Be assured, this nutritious and finger licking halwa will just melt in your mouth. This palatable sweet is so rich, creamy and flavorful with the nutty combination of mixed nuts and fresh fruits.
The Turkish halwa, name itself got my attention when my brother described with what his friend relished and praised about. I came up with this version without any proven recipe. Although, the traditional recipe is supposed to be dense, crumbly and also cut to shape. I have always enjoyed piping hot halwa my mom makes with semolina, wheat or nuts. I wanted to recreate the texture but with tahini/ sesame seeds for its nutrition factors such as, high calcium, fiber and plant protein. Studies suggest that it also helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. When you have a choice to make a healthier version of any food, why not give it a try when it comes to dessert as well.
Grinding sesame seeds into a paste for tahini sauce was always a challenge. So, I started grinding it in to a fine powder before I add the water to transform it to a paste consistency. Used the same trick here and the process was done in just a jiffy. I used brown cane sugar as I had it readily available in my pantry. However, white sugar would have retained the color of sesame seeds resulting with a fairly white colored halwa.
I was thrilled to try it out, but being my 1st, I chose to keep the quantity low. I am extremely pleased with the results and the comments from loved ones. Once you try this combination, you might take a step further by enjoying all of your halwas with this fruit and nut combination.
Happy Hindu New year to you all!
Now, let's hop on to the pictorial stepwise recipe.
Level: Easy
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings 4.0 | |
Amount Per Serving | |
calories 261 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat 18 g | 27 % |
Saturated Fat 4 g | 18 % |
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g | |
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
Trans Fat 0 g | |
Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
Sodium 35 mg | 1 % |
Potassium 10 mg | 0 % |
Total Carbohydrate 24 g | 8 % |
Dietary Fiber 1 g | 3 % |
Sugars 19 g | |
Protein 4 g | 9 % |
Vitamin A | 4 % |
Vitamin C | 4 % |
Calcium | 6 % |
Iron | 2 % |
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. |
- White sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
- Unbleached sugar (used brown cane sugar) - 6 tbsp
- Ghee/ clarified butter - 4 tsp
- Rose, Kewra or Almond essence - 2 drops
- Water - 2 cups (reserve 1 for sugar syrup)
- Mixed nuts and dry fruits - 1/4 cup (pistachios, cashews, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raisins and cranberries)
- Fresh fruits - 1/4 cup (used chopped strawberries and blueberries)
- Rose petals for garnishing (optional)- few
- The halwa will not stick to the wok /kadai when you run your spatula through it.
- Take a tiny piece to make it into a ball. Ensure you don't burn your finger in the process by resting/ cooling it for a min or two until you can handle the heat.
- Drop tiny bit of halwa in a cup filled with cold water, for the halwa to stick together. If it melts and dissipates its not done yet.
Beautiful pictures! Looks delicious! Love it Amudha!
ReplyDeleteHappy you liked it Priya! Thanks for your time and support!
DeleteWow! Im sure it would have tasted delicious. Awesome!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you bet! Appreciate your time Kiru :)
DeleteSuper nice 👍 😋
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! 😊
DeleteVery nice presentation and step wise instructions. I will try it out for sure
ReplyDeleteThank you Deepa! Don't forget to tell me how it turned out. I'm sure you'll love it!
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