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DATES ALMOND AND PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE BURFI



    Diwali is all about celebrating, decorating your house, dressing up and of course, making and feasting on a lot of delicious food and traditional mithai (Indian sweets)! Instagram is stormed with Diwali mithai preparations as Diwali isn’t complete without the mithai... everyone is busy making and sharing pictures of their Diwali mithais. But for me, my family and I have been off sweets for a few months now and was wondering how I can create something healthier and share the Diwali festivities with my family without indulging in sugar and piling on too many calories.


    I solved my predicament by creating this amazing Diwali burfi - a Dates Almond and Chocolate Pistachio burfi infused with rose water! It’s totally sugar free, but honest to goodness my family and I didn’t even miss the typical assortment of sweets that are laden with sugar! This was sooo delicious and absolutely melted in your mouth, popping a new patakha (firework) of flavour as you eat it! And somehow this totally different and healthy recipe perfectly encapsulates the warmth and the spirit of Diwali!


    Indulge yourself this Diwali into something which is totally sugar-free, gluten-free and a vegan mithai which is much more healthier, nutritious and festive at the same time!! Happy Diwali!

    PREP TIME: 15minutes

    MAKING TIME: 15 minutes

    PASSIVE TIME: 30 minutes

    TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

    YIELDS: 16



    INGREDIENTS


    For Dates Layer

    • 250g madjool dates, pitted

    • 100g dark chocolate buttons or chopped chocolate bar

    • 100g rolled oats or oats flour(coarse)

    • 2-3 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

    • 3 tbsp/ 50g almond butter

    • 50g pistachios

    • 1 tsp vanilla

    • 1/2 tsp dalt

    • 3 tsp rose water

    For Almond Layer:

    • 1 1/4 cup almond powder

    • 3 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

    • 1/2 tbsp almond milk

    • 1/4 tsp almond essence

    For Chocolate Layer:

    • 150g dark chocolate buttons/ chopped block

    • 3 tbsp virgin coconut oil

    For Ganishing:

    • 20 gm pistachios, roughly chopped

    • Dried rose petals

    Equipment needed:

    • 8”x8” square baking pan about 2 inch high (I used the loose bottom pan)


    METHOD


    1. Soak dates in hot water for 10 minutes. Keep aside.

    2. In a blender, coarsely grind the rolled oats. Keep aside.

    3. Drain water from the dates, blend to a fine paste. Add ground oats, almond butter and salt; blend for a minute until just well combined. Now add chocolate buttons, vanilla and rose water and give a quick blend. You will see the chocolate slightly melting, which is good.

    4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Now taste your mixture and if you find your mixture is not wet and sweet enough, add the maple syrup else you can skip it. Add pistachios and mix well.

    5. For almond layer, sift the almond powder, add almond essence, maple syrup and mix with a spatula.

    6. Now line the bottom and sides of pan with baking paper, pour the dates mixture at the bottom, spread evenly and press it gently with the help of spatula. Now pour the almond mixer on top and spread it evenly with the off set knife or a spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    7. Just before removing from refrigerate, make the chocolate layer. Pour chocolate button and coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl, microwave it for 30 seconds, mix with rubber spatula and heat again for 20 seconds. Gently mix and heat for another 20 seconds until your chocolate is melted and glossy.

    8. Now remove the pan from refrigerate, pour the melted chocolate on top, quickly spread it with offset knife and sprinkle the pistachios and rose petal on top. Let it set for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

    9. Push the set burfi out of the pan and cut it into slices.

    10. If you are not using the loose bottom pan, slice it into 16 squares with the sharp knife and gently remove pieces from the pan. Serve at room temperature.


    COOK'S NOTES

    • Add the maple syrup to the dates layer only if you find your mixture is not soft and sweet enough.

    • Maple syrup can be replaced with agave syrup as well.

    • When you are spreading the chocolate you need to be swift in spreading else your chocolate will set and you will not be able to stick your garnish on top. As soon as you spread the chocolate quickly sprinkle the chopped pistachios and dried rosemary petals on top and let it set.

    • I used loose bottom square pan, you can also make it in ordinary pan but make sure you line it with parchment paper to release it easily from the bottom and sides.

    BASIL PESTO HUMMUS



      Living in Middle East for number of years, I have learned a lot about the rich Arabian heritage and food culture. I learnt how to make a classic hummus from a Lebanese friend of mine who is a great neighbour – we exchange a lot about history and cultures of our homelands. I added a different spin with homegrown basil, to make it different from the usual creamy hummus. This version works so well as dips and in wraps! Trust me, hummus is a staple dish that everyone who lives in the Middle East must know how to make – a mezze platter is never complete without a beautiful and rich homemade hummus!


      Recently hummus has gained a lot of popularity for being vegan-friendly and rich source of protein, and the best part is that it's easy to change it up and experiment with delicious new flavours! Check out the recipe for my Classic Hummus here, and my Sun-dried Tomato Hummus here.



      PREP TIME: 10 minutes

      MAKING TIME: 5 minutes

      YIELDS: 500g approx./ one medium serving bowl



      INGREDIENTS

      • 1x400g can chickpeas

      • 2 cloves garlic

      • 2-3 tbsp tahini paste

      • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

      • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

      • 1/4 tsp paprika

      • 2 tsp lemon juice

      • 1 tbsp brine water in which chickpeas are preserved/ fresh water

      • 7-8 sun-dried tomato halves

      • 2-3 sprigs of thyme leaves

      For garnish:

      • 3 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips

      • 1 tbsp chickpeas for garnish

      • 2-3 sprigs of thyme leaves

      • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil



      METHOD

      1. Drain the chickpeas from the can and reserve the water and a tablespoon of chickpeas.

      2. In a food processor bowl, add chickpeas, garlic, tahini, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme leaves, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, paprika and reserved water. Blend them together until slightly textured and not silky smooth. Add an extra tablespoon of reserved or fresh water if you find it too thick to blend.

      3. Take out in a serving bowl, swirl with the back of spoon to make a well in center. Drizzle the olive oil, and garnish with sun-dried tomato strips, thyme leaves and chickpeas. Serve


      COOK'S NOTES

      • Classically hummus is made by boiling the overnight soaked chickpeas with water and a bit of salt. Let them cool and using the rest of the recipe’s ingredients to make the classical hummus.

      • Reserve the water from the boiled chickpeas to adjust the consistency of the hummus or the brine water from the canned chickpeas. Add a tablespoon extra if you find chickpeas are clogging to loosen up the consistency to blend better.

      • Boiled chickpeas can be puréed and preserved by keeping it in airtight ziplock bags for later use.

      • Defrost or thaw the chickpea purée before blending with other ingredients to make hummus.

      SUN-DRIED TOMATO HUMMUS



        Living in Middle East for number of years, I have learned a lot about the rich Arabian heritage and food culture. I learnt how to make a classic hummus from a Lebanese friend of mine who is a great neighbour – we exchange a lot about history and cultures of our homelands. I added a different spin with the sun-dried tomatoes, to make it different from the usual creamy hummus. This version works so well as dips and in wraps! Trust me, hummus is a staple dish that everyone who lives in the Middle East must know how to make – a mezze platter is never complete without a beautiful and rich homemade hummus!


        Recently hummus has gained a lot of popularity for being vegan-friendly and rich source of protein, and the best part is that it's easy to change it up and experiment with delicious new flavours! Check out the recipe for my Classic Hummus here, and my Basil Pesto Hummus here.



        PREP TIME: 10 minutes

        MAKING TIME: 5 minutes

        YIELDS: 500g approx./ one medium serving bowl



        INGREDIENTS

        • 1x400g can chickpeas

        • 2 cloves garlic

        • 2-3 tbsp tahini paste

        • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

        • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

        • 1/4 tsp paprika

        • 2 tsp lemon juice

        • 1 tbsp brine water in which chickpeas are preserved/ fresh water

        • 7-8 sun-dried tomato halves

        • 2-3 sprigs of thyme leaves

        For garnish:

        • 3 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips

        • 1 tbsp chickpeas for garnish

        • 2-3 sprigs of thyme leaves

        • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


        METHOD

        1. Drain the chickpeas from the can and reserve the water and a tablespoon of chickpeas.

        2. In a food processor bowl, add chickpeas, garlic, tahini, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme leaves, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, paprika and reserved water. Blend them together until slightly textured and not silky smooth. Add an extra tablespoon of reserved or fresh water if you find it too thick to blend.

        3. Take out in a serving bowl, swirl with the back of spoon to make a well in center. Drizzle the olive oil, and garnish with sun-dried tomato strips, thyme leaves and chickpeas. Serve


        COOK'S NOTES

        • Classically hummus is made by boiling the overnight soaked chickpeas with water and a bit of salt. Let them cool and using the rest of the recipe’s ingredients to make the classical hummus.

        • Reserve the water from the boiled chickpeas to adjust the consistency of the hummus or the brine water from the canned chickpeas. Add a tablespoon extra if you find chickpeas are clogging to loosen up the consistency to blend better.

        • Boiled chickpeas can be puréed and preserved by keeping it in airtight ziplock bags for later use.

        • Defrost or thaw the chickpea purée before blending with other ingredients to make hummus.

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