Semolina halva in the frying pan

This dessert is one of a kind. It is very special in Greece and Turkey. People usually make halva during the periods when they want to abstain from eggs and dairy. It's sort of a fasting dessert. 

I can guarantee you this is among the easiest recipes and it follows a pattern of 1,2,3,4 as far as proportions are concerned. The innovative element here is that I have found a way to make it in a small frying pan over gas or fire. Why on earth would I do that? Because after lots of hours of work, I want to make something fast but without the mess of the many ingredients, pots and pans. 

For a larger quantity, replace the tablespoon with a cup and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and vanilla extract in the recipe below. In that case, you will need a 20 cm (8 inch) round mold pan to put the halva in once it's ready.

As you can see, you can even make this dessert while you are camping. I kid you not. The only thing you are going to need is a small frying pan and in about 20 minutes you will be eating the best halva you have ever tasted in your life.

Let's dive right into the recipe.

Semolina Halva

makes 2 cupcake-size servings

1 tablespoon olive oil (or any other vegetable oil)

2 tablespoons semolina (1 tablespoon coarse and 1 tablespoon fine)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a non-stick small frying pan, over low-medium gas/fire, combine the olive oil and the semolina. Roast the mixture for about 4-5 mins, stirring with a wooden/silicone spatula continuously (we don't want it to burn). The semolina must have a golden brown color.

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Stir for another minute. Remove from fire and carefully add the water (the mixture is boiling hot so add the water really slowly).

3. Put the pan over low fire again and start stirring. The mixture will start to thicken.

4. Stir for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture pulls away from the bottom of the frying pan.

5. Split the mixture in half and transfer it to 2 cupcake cases. Let them cool for 10-15 mins and turn them out.

Note: you can eat halva right away when hot, or you can enjoy it cold accompanied by greek yoghurt or ice-cream.

If you liked this recipe, share it and comment down below. Post it on Instagram under the hashtag #mindyourbrownie to check your versions of halva.