August 13, 2011: Halava (Breakfast Series Purpose Xiii)

in a cooking bird alongside Kurma in conclusion year as well as now, finally, I'm trying my ain manus at it.

If you've non come upward yesteryear it earlier this is a fluffy, grain-based pudding studded alongside dried fruit as well as oft served alongside custard. While this recipe uses raisins, walnuts as well as dates I suspect y'all could endeavour almost anything. Just this morning time I saw a fabulous-looking version alongside pineapple juice, cashews as well as saffron (wow! saffron!) on Veggie Belly. Kurma too helpfully notes that y'all tin purpose polenta instead of semolina for a gluten-free version.

I genuinely had intentions of eating this for breakfast as well as thus reduced the amount of saccharide involved yesteryear a third. Regardless this remained intensely sugariness as well as dessert-like, as well as I enjoyed it most alongside a large mug of hot unsweetened tea. Halawa keeps simply fine for ages inwards the refrigerator (and mightiness fifty-fifty hold upward a piece at room temperature) but the texture's never quite the same equally when it's freshly steamed as well as stirred - it gets pretty dense equally it cools and/or gets packed away for storage.

Halava
(slightly adapted from a recipe yesteryear Kurma Dasa)

three 1/4 cups water
1 loving cup saccharide (I used 3/4 loving cup jaggary as well as 1/4 loving cup castor sugar)
1/3 loving cup raisins
grated zest of ii lemons
180g butter
1 1/2 cups semolina
1/3 loving cup walnut pieces
3/4 loving cup dates, chopped

In a medium-large saucepan, stir together the water, sugar, raisins as well as lemon zest. Bring them to the boil, alongside a yoke of stirs along the agency to dissolve the sugar, as well as thus plough the rut downwards to depression as well as comprehend alongside a lid.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over depression heat. Add the semolina as well as gently roast it inwards the butter for xx minutes, stirring regularly for fifty-fifty cooking. Add the walnuts at the 10-minute mark. It should odour corking in 1 lawsuit it's done!

Bring the saccharide syrup dorsum to a rolling boil as well as pour it into the semolina, stirring equally y'all go. (I did this inwards close iv doses.) Keep stirring the pudding, letting the grain soak upward all the liquid. When it's all absorbed crease inwards the  dates, comprehend the saucepan alongside a lid as well as conduct hold it off the heat. Allow the pudding to steam similar this for close 10 minutes. Then fluff upward the grains a fleck alongside a spoon as well as serve it out. Serve a niggling less than y'all await - it's surprisingly rich as well as if y'all desire to, y'all tin ever become dorsum for seconds.