Halwa Al-Saleemi

Ingredients:

3 cups milk

½ cup condensed milk

1/2 cup sugar

½ cup molasses

1 cup butter (ghee or mixed butter and ghee)

1 cup semolina

How to:  (you need two saucepans)

1. Put the milk to boil in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Then melt the sugar slowly in a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent it from burning. Stir in the condensed milk.

3. As soon as the melted sugar turns light brown in colour, lower the heat and slowly add the hot milk.

4. The sugar will immediately crystalize. Break up some of the crystals, stir, and leave them to dissolve by putting the saucepan on a burner to simmer.

5. Add the molasses and stir for ½ a minute

6. First wash saucepan and melt butter in it over low heat. Fry semolina gently in butter/ghee, stirring for about 15 minutes, till lightly browned. Turn heat down to the lowest setting.

7. Slowly pour the caramelized milk mixture into the semolina.

8. Stir once or twice to break any lumps. Cover pan tightly and cook gently over the same low heat for several minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

9. Remove the lid and stir the halwa a few times to fluff it up.

10. Spread the halwa into a flat dish (1 cm depth) and carve into diamonds.

Garnish with crushed nuts and cool in fridge.

Recipe & image by Saleem H. Ahmed