How to Make Fenugreek Halva

Ingredients

• 2 cups fine semolina
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fenugreek
• 1 cup water
• For the syrup (shira):
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

1. To make the syrup, dissolve the sugar in the water, place in a pot over heat and boil for 8 minutes; add the lemon juice and boil for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and let it cool completely.
2. In a pan over heat, lightly toast the fenugreek seeds. Be careful not to use too much fenugreek or the flavor will become bitter. Add 1 cup water over the toasted fenugreek and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and strain the fenugreek water from the seeds, keeping both.
3. In a deep bowl, mix the dry dough ingredients together first, including the yeast; add the oil and half the fenugreek and knead slightly by hand.
4. Gradually add the fenugreek water and continue kneading until you have a cohesive dough.
5. On an oven tray greased with tahini, spread the dough to a thickness no greater than 1 cm (do not make it thick), smooth the surface with the palm of your hand, then cut into triangles or squares as desired.
6. Garnish the surface with peanuts as desired. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the tray for 45 minutes until browned and cooked; remove from the oven and drizzle with the cold syrup.