Dina Begum's 'Tusha Shinni' ~ Spiced Wheat Flour Halwa with Raisins

Dina Begum

A soft and fluffy sweet halwa from Dina Begum's ancestral region of Sylhet in Bangladesh ~ Tusha Shinni. Pops of plump black raisins delight in every bite of the halwa made with ghee-toasted wheat flour and a spiced sugar syrup infused with cardamom pods and true cinnamon quills. The recipe is borrowed from Dina's gorgeous new cookbook 'Made in Bangladesh' with some slight modifications.

150g Plain, all-purpose flour
3 tbsp Ghee
135g Granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
6 pods of Chola Cardamom - Add To Cart
1 quill of Kandy 'Heirloom' Cinnamon - Add To Cart
1 large Bay leaf
10–12 Black raisins
6–8 Cashew nuts (optional)

To make the sugar syrup, add water to a saucepan and bring it to boil over high heat. Then add the cinnamon quill and opened cardamom pods. Stir in the coconut sugar and let it dissolve. Reduce the heat to low and leave the syrup to simmer.
Heat ghee in a separate wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the bay leaf and cashews, then stir in the flour, toasting for about 10–12 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Add in the raisins too. The flour will clump slightly at first but will turn into a sandy texture as it toasts.
Once nutty and aromatic, the flour is ready. This is the time to add the spiced syrup.
Pour the syrup into the flour and ghee mixture. Working quickly, stir the mixture well to avoid any dry spots of flour around the sides of the pan.
The halwa mixture will now slightly stick together but will be soft and fluffy as all ingredients come together.

Serve hot with a cup of tea or Gurer Doodh Cha, another delightful recipe from Dina Begum's book 'Made in Bangladesh'.