Semsemyieh is a typical souk dessert, made of toasted sesame seeds and ground almonds set in a sweet syrup, though it could also be made from chopped cashews, or all almonds, or pistachios. Large blocks of the candy are prepared and cut into bite-size pieces for serving.
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 kg) sesame seeds
- 1 1/3 cups (200 g) almonds
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200 g) honey
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tahini
- Kamal Mouzawak
- kamal@soukeltayeb.com
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Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet, stirring constantly, until the seeds are uniformly golden.
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In a food processor, whiz the almonds to a fine powder.
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Mix the sugar and the honey in a pot and boil to obtain a thick syrup. Add the almond powder and stir well. Add the toasted sesame seeds and mix well.
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Spread the tahini on the bottom and sides of a 12-inch (30-cm) square baking pan. Spread the hot sesame mixture thinly in the pan (it should be less than 1/3 inch [1 cm] thick). Wet your hand and even out the surface. Let cool and set.
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Refrigerate the pan for 4 hours, for the candy to set well and harden, and then cut into bite-size pieces. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yield about 20 pieces
