Halva - can find it in Bkk?

[Green]

Halva - can find it in Bkk?

Thanks!

[Jingthing]

Yes, INDIAN style halwa at Saras:

http://saras.co.th/contact/

http://saras.co.th/sweets-n-snacks.html?p=7

This has place has a world class selection of Indian sweets, including Indian halwa.

You are probably looking for sesame based halva more typical in the Arab, Persian, and Jewish world, but Indians also have their version.

I have never seen that style for sale anywhere in Thailand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halva

[Green]

Awesome, I eat at saras all the time, love there stuff, and that sweets counter is just beautiful to look at.

Yea am looking for the sesame-tahini based stuff but will give it a try, thanks!

[webworldly]

Hey Green....if you are looking for more of a Middle Eastern culinary styled product, there is a heavenly smelling, deliciously tasting street-side (but part of a full retail shop behind it) glass display case with attendant cashier full of fresh made treats (halwa, baklava, etc.) that is located across about 20 meters west of the Sukhumvit (on Sukhumvit Soi #3), between Sukhumvit and Bumrungrad Hospital.

Enjoy!

CHEERS!

D

[Green]

great thanks alot!

[Green]

Webworldy can u give more specific directions, I hunted around and couldn't find it. U say its on Soi 3, between Sukumvit and bumrungrad ?

[webworldly]

Hey Green......thank you for the followup. I will be walking past that area later today and will report back. My apologies in advance if it turns out that the shop has vanished.

CHEERS!

D

[webworldly]

OK, Green.....the best I can offer you is some optimistic, though non-conclusive follow up. Today I went to the shop that I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, and while they had no sweets on offer when I was there (2pm).....to the best of my understanding, the Thai speaking cashier said that they start selling their sweets (baklava, halva, etc.) at 5pm each day. I wish I could promise more.

To make matters worse, I may have screwed up when I said the shop was west of Sukhumvit. It is indeed on Soi #3...between Sukhumvit and Bumrungrad, next to the Bamboo bar / restaurant, and almost directly across from the Grace Hotel. As for whether that is "west" or not, dunno'.

In case it helps, here's a (bad) picture of the storefront:

And here is the Grace Hotel.....if you are standing in front of it, on Sukhumvit, and you look across the street....you will see the shop.

....as for whether the shop will have sweets on offer after 5pm, uggggh, I'm optimistic but less sure than I was before.

CHEERS!

D

[Green]

Ah yes, well of everywhere I saw I thought that was probably it. But I was standing on the other side of the street and thought their display case had other kinds of food on display. Will check it out! Thanks for that.

[Green]

And anyways there must be some other places in that area, perhaps on a menu though and not out front...

[butterisbetter]

Yes, you can find halvah in Bangkok. I was just at the Chabad House in Chiangmai, and they told me that their container is being unloaded and they expect a shipment of Halvah to arrive on August 1. This means that the Chabad House in Bangkok will have it too. It's sold at the restaurant.which is located at:

Viengtai

96 Thanon Ram Butry Banglampoo

Phone: 02 629 2754

[Jingthing]

That's good news, I guess.

Halvah was a common treat in my boyhood.

However, the downside is that Halvah has go to be one the most FATTENING foods on the planet and it's no friend of your teeth either.

Just saying ...

[Ulysses G.]

I never liked it much as a kid. IMO, fudge or milk chocolate is much more gratifying for a youngster. However, Halva made with crushed sesame seeds and has lots of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as iron, vitamin E and calcium. It does have a lot of fat, but it is healthy fat. That must count for something.

[Green]

Yes, you can find halvah in Bangkok. I was just at the Chabad House in Chiangmai, and they told me that their container is being unloaded and they expect a shipment of Halvah to arrive on August 1. This means that the Chabad House in Bangkok will have it too. It's sold at the restaurant.which is located at:

Viengtai

96 Thanon Ram Butry Banglampoo

Phone: 02 629 2754

Do you know if it is made with honey or sugar?

[Jingthing]

Yes, you can find halvah in Bangkok. I was just at the Chabad House in Chiangmai, and they told me that their container is being unloaded and they expect a shipment of Halvah to arrive on August 1. This means that the Chabad House in Bangkok will have it too. It's sold at the restaurant.which is located at:

Viengtai

96 Thanon Ram Butry Banglampoo

Phone: 02 629 2754

Do you know if it is made with honey or sugar?

Or perhaps both?

Interesting question.

Today, Jewish halvah, as opposed to others, is made from sugar/honey and tahini (sesame paste). Jewish/Israeli Halvah is fairly distinct in that it is dairy-free (pareve), as the Jews took a great treat and adapted it to fit their dietary needs.

http://jewishfood.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/halvah/

[EidanK]

Yes, you can find halvah in Bangkok. I was just at the Chabad House in Chiangmai, and they told me that their container is being unloaded and they expect a shipment of Halvah to arrive on August 1. This means that the Chabad House in Bangkok will have it too. It's sold at the restaurant.which is located at:

Viengtai

96 Thanon Ram Butry Banglampoo

Phone: 02 629 2754

Do you know if it is made with honey or sugar?

Or perhaps both?

Interesting question.

Today, Jewish halvah, as opposed to others, is made from sugar/honey and tahini (sesame paste). Jewish/Israeli Halvah is fairly distinct in that it is dairy-free (pareve), as the Jews took a great treat and adapted it to fit their dietary needs.

http://jewishfood.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/halvah/

[EidanK]

Hey there,

I'm a native Israeli Jewish who lives in bkk. In addition I have to say that there are many recipes for Halva and the origin is very difficult to locate. Same story with the Spagetti and noodles... what comes first? you'll need to explore the "silk way" between China to Italy and still you won't have any specific answer.

I can cook a tasty and healthy Halva by order and another Jewish pastries.

Peace

[Green]

Hey there,

I'm a native Israeli Jewish who lives in bkk. In addition I have to say that there are many recipes for Halva and the origin is very difficult to locate. Same story with the Spagetti and noodles... what comes first? you'll need to explore the "silk way" between China to Italy and still you won't have any specific answer.

I can cook a tasty and healthy Halva by order and another Jewish pastries.

Peace

Sounds perfect! I'm sure there would be a few here who would take an order, what sort of pastries do u make?

[Jingthing]

Hamantashen (prune is best) are great.

BTW, that recipe I posted for halvah doesn't sound that hard.

[Michaelaway]

Wow: all this halva banter has got to me (whoda thunk it?), so I think I'm gonna give it a try.

Halva-

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sesame seeds
• ¾ cup tahini
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• roasted pistachios +/or almonds

Preparation:

In a skillet, heat sesame seeds over medium heat until lightly toasted. Once cooled, add them to a food processor one cup at a time and blend. Add tahini, sugar, honey, pistachios/almonds, cinnamon and allspice and pulse until mixture is thick and nearly solid. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and press mixture evenly into pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

[Green]

I guess a blender wouldn't work?

[Michaelaway]

I guess a blender wouldn't work?

It's probably work. You'd have to blend small batches, cleaning out the blender in between.

[butterisbetter]

Wow: all this halva banter has got to me (whoda thunk it?), so I think I'm gonna give it a try.

Halva-

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sesame seeds
• ¾ cup tahini
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• roasted pistachios +/or almonds

Preparation:

In a skillet, heat sesame seeds over medium heat until lightly toasted. Once cooled, add them to a food processor one cup at a time and blend. Add tahini, sugar, honey, pistachios/almonds, cinnamon and allspice and pulse until mixture is thick and nearly solid. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and press mixture evenly into pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

I see a few problems with this recipe. The first is using ground sesame seeds. I've done that, and the flavor is somewhat bitter. The bitterness comes from the hulls. Which is why tahini is made from hulled sesame seeds. Also, none of the ingredients listed here are heated. In the recipes that look authoritative to me, honey is heated to the soft ball, stage (about 115-116 degrees Centigrade) and the tahini is also warmed. Once mixed, it's kneaded then left to crystallize in the fridge for about 36 hours. This crystalization gives the halva its characteristic flaky texture. I'm going to give that recipe a try as soon as I get my new instant-read thermometer. But i"d be curious to learn how yours came out. The recipe you're using looks a lot simpler.