Halva - a dessert is very popular not only in eastern countries. There are several types of halva, one of which involves cooking this dish from ground seeds of oilseeds and / or nuts. One of the varieties of this dessert is tahini or sesame halva, produced, respectively, from sesame seeds. Sometimes in tahini halva add pistachios or peanuts.
Tahin (it's sesame) halva is common in the Middle East, the Balkans, in other parts of the Mediterranean region, as well as the territory of the states of the post-Soviet space.
This refined, truly oriental delicacy is known in Iran since the V century. Later the recipe became popular in other countries. There are a lot of recipes for cooking tahini halva, in every Arab country there are characteristic authentic recipes, so the taste of sesame halva can be different in different countries and regions. Here, the traditional order of combining the ingredients of dessert is a real art with the use of secrets, worked out for centuries. Naturally, this semi-domestic approach determines the appearance and taste of the product.
What are tahini halva made of?
It is possible to single out one main component for cooking - it is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Also used are vanilla, glucose, caramel mass, citric acid and some other ingredients. In factory versions, it is possible to include nut butter, cocoa, and other ingredients.
Halva sesame - good and bad
This tahini halva is a wonderful light dessert, which, to some extent, can even be considered dietary. This product is a real storehouse of vitamins and microelements that a person needs. The composition of tahini halva, prepared by industrial method, includes protein mass (in the form of paste from sesame seeds), caramel mass, foaming agent (licorice root) and some other ingredients, unfortunately not as useful as the above.
Sesame halva has a high biological value, heals and rejuvenates the body, improves the activity of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Also, the product is useful for bones and joints, in a way, halva improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails. It should be remembered, however, that any sweets are not useful for teeth due to direct effects on enamel, and blood sugar levels should be kept under control.
Tahini halva recipe
Ingredients:
- sesame seeds - 4 cups;
- sugar - 3 cups;
- peanuts - 200 g;
- vanilla - 0.5 sticks;
- butter, melted, natural - 50 g.
Preparation
We sort the seeds of sesame, clean it from the shell and lightly calcine it on a dry, well-heated frying pan. Peanuts are also cleansed and calcined (can be on a baking sheet). Sesame is passed through a meat grinder (it is better to do this twice).
Prepare sugar syrup with vanillin and add prepared sesame into it. We boil to a dense, viscous consistency. Add the peanuts. It turns out an interesting, heterogeneous texture. We lay out the ready mass with a layer on a greased tray or a wet board (you can lay oiled paper - it's even more convenient), kneaded and rolled out with a rolling pin. Slightly cool, cut into pieces and let it cool completely. Store in a cool place in a tightly closed container. We serve tahini halva with freshly brewed tea, coffee, karkade and other similar drinks.
There are other recipes for tahin halva, which you can use at home. Some sugar instead of sugar is added to natural honey, which naturally increases the usefulness of the product and makes it almost dietary - if there is no allergy to honey. The use of molasses instead of sugar is also permissible.
Sesame halva-caloric content
Caloric content of this product, manufactured by industrial method, is about 550-570 kcal per 100 g, so use halva should be a little, especially for those who save the figure. It is better to eat halva in the morning - for breakfast or lunch. In addition, it is worth remembering that this is a product with a fairly high content of vegetable fats , so it's better to drink halva with hot drinks.