Desserts

Hallvë (semolina halva)

A golden, fragrant halva made by toasting semolina in butter, then cooking it with a syrup of water and sugar. Its texture is crumbly yet melting, often decorated with walnuts and served at celebrations and during condolence visits.

35 min
6 servings
Medium
Moderate
🇦🇱 Albania

Made it? Rate this recipe

Save to favorites Add to my shopping list

Ingredients

Spices & seasoning

1 tsp Cinnamon

Optional extras

2 tbsp Raisins

Nutrition facts

447 kcal per serving

Protein: 5.1 g
Carbohydrates: 58.1 g
of which sugars: 34 g
Fat: 21 g
of which saturated fat: 9.9 g
Fiber: 2 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil for 3 minutes to make a light syrup, then keep it warm.
In another saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the semolina.
Toast the semolina for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and smelling of hazelnut.
Gradually pour in the hot syrup while whisking to avoid lumps, then add the pinch of salt.
Lower the heat and let it thicken for 5 minutes, stirring until the mixture pulls away from the sides.
Off the heat, stir in the orange blossom water, spread into a dish, decorate with walnuts and cinnamon, and let it cool.