Celebrity square meals: Monica Ali's heavenly halwa

It is eaten with chapatis, parathas or loochis, usually for breakfast - though I only eat it as a pudding or a snack.

Don't worry if you remember horrible semolina puddings from school days and think that you loathe the stuff. Halwa is a different proposition altogether.

200ml water
150g Fairtrade sugar
5 cardamoms, opened
100g coarse semolina
50g butter
25g golden sultanas, washed and soaked
25g roasted sliced almonds

Pour the water into a pan along with the sugar and cardamoms and bring to the boil. Gently simmer for 5 minutes on a low heat and reserve.

Meanwhile, dry fry the semolina in a heavy pan, stirring continuously until the semolina is a golden brown. Add the butter to the pan and keep stirring on a low heat for about 5 minutes.

To the semolina, add the sugared water, sultanas and nuts and cook together until the semolina thickens.

Turn down the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. The semolina by this stage should have a thick, grainy texture. If the halwa is too thick, add a little more water. If it is too runny, continue to cook it a little longer.

Monica Ali is the author of 'Brick Lane'. This recipe is from 'A Fair Feast' (Simon & Schuster, £9.99), the proceeds of which go to Oxfam and the Fairtrade Foundation