This semolina halva cake was one of the delicious dishes we made on a cooking course weekend with celebrity chef Reza Mahammad at African Relish in Prince Albert. This cake was one of my favourite dishes from the whole weekend – its subtle flavour and delicate sweetness sets it apart from other puddings.
Ingredients
- ½ tsp saffron strands soaked with 2 tbsp hot milk for 20 – 25 minutes
- 450ml milk
- 200g sugar
- 90g butter
- 150g semolina
- 80g shelled slivered pistachio nuts
- 30g raisins soaked in warm water until plump, then drained
Method
Lightly grease a cake tin and set aside. Using a saucepan, heat the milk with the sugar over a medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Keep warm and pour in the saffron infused milk to it. In a separate pan melt the butter and cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to smell beautifully buttery then add the semolina and mix well with a wooden spoon. Cook over a low heat stirring continuously until the semolina turns golden brown but not burnt. Now carefully pour the warm milk mixture to the semolina and stir vigorously until it comes away from the sides of the pan. It should have a smooth thick porridge like consistency. Remove from the heat. Add the pistachio and raisins, then pour into the cake tin. Cover and leave to rest in a warm place for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Serve with either clotted cream or yoghurt or simply on its own!
Recipe by Reza Mahammad
Photo by Joseph C Lawrence
