African Coastal Halwa ( Malindi, Mombasa or Somali Halwa)

For anyone who lived in Kenya, trips to the Coast were always an adventure. The Swahili town of Malindi was a favorite vacation destination for many Goans living in East Africa.  My last  memories of a Malindi holiday go back to when I was 10 years old so I'd caution all readers that these memories may indulge more fantasy than accuracy in my mind today.  However there is one excursion we made while we were in Malindi that was filled with excitement.

Someone had told my dad to make a trip to an area where fresh halwa was made and sold.  I remember asking my mum what halwa was and all I could glean from her description in my 10 year old mind was that it was a sweet. The only sweets that excited my mother were imported Cadbury Chocolates from England, so as we filed into my dad's Ford Anglia in Malindi I had visions of chocolate and my excitement went up a hundredfold.

My dad drove through sandy regions filled with palm trees and after much discussion with my mum on directions, they eventually turned off into a smoke filled area.  Confused and excited we all got out and followed my parents. Under a grove of palm trees we came upon a lot of excitement, noise and bustle.  The area opened into a group of ladies and men standing over large vats which they were stirring.  The heat from the live flames under the pots quickly hit us and added to the warm temperatures of the coastal region.

There were huts close by that my mother pointed to and my dad soon disappeared into a large hut.  Being curious I tried to stand on my tippy toes and look into the large pots.  Some helpful observer slipped his hands under my arms and lifted me up high enough to see into the boiling pot.  A hot, sticky orange substance was being stirred as it bubbled with a vengeance.

As soon as I hit the ground I ran to my mother and asked "Where's the chocolate?'  Looking confused she told me this was a halwa shop.  She informed me that my dad was inside buying fresh halwa, and that it would be wrapped in a basket that the local ladies weaved to enclose the halwa and contain it.  I later understood that this was what made the Malindi halwa so authentic.

Being the adventurer I strolled around observing everything as my siblings hung near my parents.  Soon enough I came across the local ladies weaving the baskets out of dried palm leaves. They made the little triangular shapes and left one seam open. They showed me how to put a blob of halwa inside the open end and then with one strand of palm fibre they sewed the basket shut.  To this day I still recall the triangular shaped weaved basket made of palm leaves that my dad showed us all as he emerged from the hut with the great buy of the day!

Later that evening when we returned to our resort we ate the halwa with a piping hot cup of English tea. For a girl growing up in the Kenyan city of Nairobi, the trip to Malindi has long faded but the taste and flavors of the Halwa have remained intact.

I have tried to recreate that taste of Malindi Halwa from many recipes, but this one hit the jackpot!   As always in my plight to simplify my time in the kitchen this recipe is made in the microwave.  It can also be stirred on a stove top but is much more strenuous that way.  It still takes some time to make in the microwave but you omit standing by a hot stove and the mess created by the bubbling mixture on the stove, or burns from the liquid splashing on you.  Not to mention a sore arm from all the constant stirring on a stove top.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Tapioca starch ( found in Indian and Chinese stores)
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup ghee
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cardamon powder
5 tablespoons Rose water ( or to taste, I added 3 tablespoons)
orange and red food coloring
Optional 1/2 cup of lightly toasted nuts like almonds or cashews ( I used cashews)
A deep microwave safe dish ( I used the corning ware 5 liter casserole dish)

Method

Line a flat dish dish with parchment paper and grease it. I used a kitchen spray to grease the paper.

In a cup add the tapioca starch and 1/2 cup of water.  Stir well until  dissolved.

Pour into a deep microwave safe dish.

Add the remaining 3 cups of water and using a whisk stir well to mix.

Add the sugar and stir again.

Add the food coloring to get a deep orange color.  I used liquid colouring and used yellow and red until I got an deep orange.  About 3- 5 drops of each. Stir again.  Remember it will darken as it cooks.

Note: all the steps are done on high power in the microwave, uncovered. Remove and stir after each step.  Stir in a circular movement about 3-4 stirs .  Be careful when stirring because the mixture is hot.  I use a heat proof rubber spatula

Now put it in the microwave on high for 10 minutes.

Remove and stir. It will have changed to a slightly darker color now.

Put it back for 7 minutes.  Remove and stir. It will be bubbly and and glossy . Now add a heaped tablespoon of ghee and stir in.  From now onward add a tablespoon of ghee every time it is removed from the microwave.

Put it back for 7 minutes.  Remove and stir.  It will now look thick and bubbly.

Back for 7 minutes.   The mixture will be thickening with each stage.  Remove and add the ghee and stir well

Now change to 5 minute increments in the microwave. Stir at each stage.  As you pull the mass to the middle of the dish it will start to keep its form.  Also as you progress when you slide the spatula along the bottom in the middle of the dish a clear path will be seen.  In other words the halwa is starting to gel and is no longer fluid.  At this stage add the rose water, spices and the nuts and stir well. I did this after fifteen minutes or after the third five minute increment. 

For me it took a total of six... five-minute increments for the halwa to be ready from the start of the first five-minute stage.. 

When you put a small amount with a teaspoon into a glass of chilled water it will be able to form a ball between your fingers when removed. This is when it is done.

Remove and spread on the prepared dish.  Leave to cool. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.  Enjoy!!

Halwa can be refrigerated or frozen for later consumption.

Note: The amount of time may vary depending on individual microwaves.

(This recipe has been modified from a recipe on Yummy Magazine by EatOut, and KhanLady)