How to make MasterChef's Helva-i Hakani: A royal-style halva recipe

Helva-i Hakani stands apart from ordinary flour or semolina halva with its combination of wheat starch, rice flour and strained honey. The recipe also brings together butter, raw almonds, full-fat milk and optional rosewater.

Begin by soaking the raw almonds in boiling water for 10 minutes, then peel them. Melt the butter in a wide copper or steel pot and sauté the almonds only until fragrant, without allowing them to darken too much.

Sift the wheat starch, rice flour and all-purpose flour into the pot. Cook the mixture over very low heat, stirring and pressing constantly with the back of a long-handled wooden spoon for about 30 to 40 minutes. It is ready when the raw smell disappears, the mixture loses its heavy, dough-like form and begins to flow again with a sandy texture.

While the flours cook, warm the milk until it is lukewarm. Remove it from the heat, then stir in the honey and rosewater. Turn off the heat under the halva and pour in the warm milk syrup all at once, stirring quickly to prevent lumps. Cover the pot and let the halva rest in its own steam for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the cooled halva in classic shuttle-shaped portions, with almonds in the center. The recipe warns not to boil the honey, because high heat can damage its flavor and make it bitter.