Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 14 oz sugar
• 2 cups water, plus 8 Tbsp cold water for the starch slurry
• 4¼ oz cornstarch
• 4 oz ghee, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 tablespoons rosewater
• 2½ oz chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, or cashews), plus more to decorate

Method

1. Whisk the cornstarch with the 8 Tbsp cold water into a smooth slurry and set aside. Have all the other ingredients measured and ready; Omani halwa needs constant stirring once it starts to cook.
2. Put the sugar and 2 cups water in a large, heavy pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil.
3. Give the slurry a final stir and pour it into the syrup in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring without stopping with a long wooden spoon, as the mixture thickens and turns glossy and translucent, about 20 minutes.
4. Add the ghee a spoonful at a time, stirring each addition in fully before adding the next, and keep cooking and stirring for 15 to 20 minutes more until the halwa is a deep amber, stretchy and jelly-like, and pulls away from the sides of the pot in one mass.
5. Stir in the cardamom, saffron water, rosewater, and chopped nuts and cook for 2 minutes more.
6. Scrape into a greased serving dish, smooth the top with the back of a greased spoon, and decorate with extra nuts. Cool until just warm; serve in small portions with coffee, scooped up with a spoon.

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data