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Zeke's New-Age Halvah
Ezekiel Krahlin
PRELUDE:
This homemade halvah is a great energizing snack when you're on the run. And when you're
not in a rush: delicious to nibble on, with a glass of sun tea. (Invite a friend!) I also
like to have a hunk of halvah for breakfast, on a plate with fresh fruit. Yum!
This recipe is simple to adjust. Just divide in half for a smaller
amount, double for larger...or use any increment you want.
An electric coffee mill also grinds tough seeds quite well. Just make sure it has been
thoroughly cleaned of any coffee remains, and washed to flush out any coffee odor. I found
my coffee mill at a thrift store for just $3!
Sesame seeds are a most nutrient rich food. As are flax seeds, which I have added to the
mix...my original contribution to the traditional sesame candy called "halvah".
All ingredients should be raw (uncooked), and seeds should be unhulled. Sesame seeds with
their hulls intact, are sometimes called "brown".
EQUIPMENT:
electric coffee mill
tablespoon measure
medium bowl
wooden mixing spoon
wax paper
shallow container (maybe)
a meticulously clean hands |
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups brown sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
4 T honey
4 T sesame oil
1/2 cup walnut pieces |
INSTRUCTIONS:
Thoroughly grind seeds in clean coffee mill, 1/4 cup at a time.
(Sesame seeds will eventually settle and refuse to spin around any more, which means they
have been ground up as much as possible. Flax seeds won't stop spinning...so just grind
them as long as the sesame seeds: about 45 seconds.)
Pour ground seeds into a medium sized bowl. Add to this, sesame oil and honey, mixing well
with a wooden spoon.
You either can roll the halvah mash into 9 bite-size logs or balls
(coated with walnut pieces), and wrap them (like taffy) in wax paper squares or Press the
mixture into a small cake pan or tupperware container lined with wax paper. Make sure that
the surface is level all over. The container should be 6-7" wide, with a raised edge
of 1-2". Press the walnut pieces into the surface. Slice into 9 portions.
Store in refrigerator. Keep covered if pressed in container.
VARIATIONS ON A THEME:
I haven't tried these yet, but I will. Here are some flavor variations
you might consider:
lemon zest
rose petals
cinammon
carob powder
small bits of dried fruit (like pineapple or papaya)
Also:
- Instead of walnut, try pecan, pistachio, hazelnut, or other
nutmeat, or a mixture.
- If honey is too intense a sweetener for you, try mushing up very
soft dates with the seed mix.
- If you are not on a 100% raw food diet, you might enjoy replacing the raw sesame oil
with toasted sesame oil. Or add some cocoa powder to create chocolate halvah. |
