Halva zanjabil – Persian ginger halwa

Iranian-style ginger halwa is called Halwa zanjabil, which originates from the city of Tabriz. Tabriz (a city in Iran) has various sweets, and this halva is one of them.

You can serve it with tea. Halva Zanjabil is crisp, delicate, and so soft it melts in your mouth. It’s also very easy to prepare.

Halva Zanjabil’s color is light beige, different from the common Halva that is traditionally served at funerals in Iran, which is dark in color.

How to Make Persian ginger halwa?

Here, read the ginger halwa recipe step by step:

Step 1- Toast the flour

Pour the flour into a pan, put it on light heat, and toast it. Stir constantly and be careful not to burn the flour or let it change color.

The point of this step is to eliminate the raw smell of the flour and get a pleasant aroma from it instead, without any color change.

This step can take 20-40 minutes. If the bottom of your pan of choice is too thin, the flour might burn and turn brown. We don’t want that, so once you see something smoke-like emerging from the flour, and feel the flour turning brown, either reduce the heat or remove the pan from the stove for a few seconds.

It’s natural to see some flour lumps. Apply pressure on them with the back of a spoon to break them up.

Once the toasting is over, remove the flour from the stove and sift it. This is to make sure that no lump remains and that the Halva can have a smooth and stable texture.

Flour before roasting:

Step 2- Add butter or solid oil

Add butter or solid oil to the flour and stir. Sauté for 10 minutes and until the flour fully absorbs the water.

It is normal if the color of the flour changes a little after roasting:

After adding the butter:

Step 3- Add ginger powder and turn the heat off

Add ginger powder and sauté for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. I also added some grated fresh ginger.

Step 4- Add the gram flour

Using a sieve, add the gram flour and stir well until it’s fully incorporated into the mixture.

Step 5- Add icing sugar and knead

Add the icing sugar using a sieve. In this step, you need to knead the Halva so the icing powder gets fully integrated. The mixture should cool down a little first, so be careful not to burn yourself!

At the end, the ginger halva dough is like the picture below:

Knead thoroughly until you get a cohesive mixture. Don’t expect Halva Zanjabil to be doughy. It shouldn’t be too stiff or too soggy. This Halva has a completely powdery structure.

Step 6- Put Halva Zanjabili in a container

Choose a circular or rectangular high-rimmed plate and lay a piece of plastic or baking paper inside. Before the Halva cools down, place it on the plate.

Using the back of a spoon or your hand, apply pressure on the surface until it becomes completely firm. In the end, smooth out the surface using the back of a spoon or anything you like.

Halva cutting – step one vertical cuts:

Step two – Diagonal cuts:

Store the Halva on the same plate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Once you take it out of the fridge, carefully transfer the pieces to your serving platter. This type of Halva is very fragile and crispy, so be careful not to break the pieces while transferring them.

Decorate them with icing sugar, pistachio powder, coconut powder, walnuts, or damask roses.

Enjoy!

Tips: 

• You cannot use regular oil instead of butter or solid oil in this Halva.
•  Keep the heat low while toasting the flour. If it changes color, your Halva will not be as beautiful. It’s okay if it turns a light beige, but avoid browning.
• The amount of ginger depends on your taste, you can change it however you like. But the deliciousness of this Halva comes from the pungent taste of ginger.
• Fresh or dried ginger can be used. You can also add ginger powder in this recipe.
• After turning the heat off, taste the Halva and add some icing sugar or ginger powder if you deem it necessary.
• You can cut the Halva into cubes or diamonds (like Baklava cake).
• You can store Halva Zanjabil in a sealed container for a week inside the fridge.