Festivals in India are incomplete without sweets and desserts. With Diwali celebrations in full swing, here are a few recipes to treat your family and friends with some home-made delights.
Dubai Tourism has shared recipes by Chef Gabriele Kurz of Madinat Jumeirah and Chef Ali El Bourji of Ayamna, Atlantis to make the festivities even sweeter.
* Muhalabiya
Ingredients: 2.5 litre milk, 330 gm of castor sugar, 160 ml rose water, 180 gm corn flour.
For garnish: 30 gm roasted pistachio, 30 gm dried rose and almond flakes.
How to make: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the milk and sugar to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add the rose water and corn flour. Stir the mixture until it thickens. Once it thickens pour it in a Martini glass. Garnish it with roasted and chopped pistachio flakes, almond flakes and dried rose petals.
* Sticky dates pudding:
Ingredients: 220 gm butter, 650 gm castor sugar, 440 gm egg whole, 650 gm date paste, 700 ml water, 650 gm flour, 30 gm baking soda.
For garnish: Caramel sauce, 1 kg sugar castor, 100 gm butter, 1 litre cream.
How to make: In a planetary mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Boil the date paste and water together until combined as a paste, add the whole eggs to the butter and sugar mixture. Once creamed, add the date paste mixture to the above. In the end, fold in the flour and baking soda to the mixture. Pour into greased moulds and bake at 180 degree Celsius until cooked.
For the caramel sauce: Caramelise the sugar until golden colour, put the cream into this mixture and stir. At the end add butter to this mixture, whisk until combined. Pour caramel sauce over date cake and garnish with almond flakes.
* Coconut tofu macarons:
Ingredients: 4 egg whites, salt, half vanilla bean seeds scraped out, 150 gm Acacia honey, 1 drop bitter almond oil, 65 gm silken white tofu mashed, 200 gm coconut desiccated and 80 gm honey blackberry jam.
Method: Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven at 210 degrees Celsius. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, almond oil and the vanilla seeds until firm. Cook the honey in a small pot for around 3 minutes.
Gradually add the hot honey into the egg whites while continue whisking. Then carefully fold under the tofu and coconut, do not stir too much to retain the foamy texture.
Transfer the dough with two teaspoons in dollops (size of a walnut) onto the parchment paper on the baking tray. Make a small whole in each cookie and fill it with a little bit of jam. Close the dough over the jam. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 210 degrees Celsius. The biscuits can be kept in a box and cool and dry place for up to 3 days.