by Anissa Helou
5. To assemble, lay a pancake on one hand. Arrange 1 tablespoon filling in a line down the middle, staying clear of the edges, and fold the pancake up into a half-moon enclosing the filling. Pinch the edges firmly together so that they don’t open during frying and lay on a platter. Finish filling the pancakes.
6. Set a fine-mesh wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Have the sugar syrup near the stove. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat until hot (if you drop a piece of bread in the oil, the oil should immediately bubble around it). Slide in as many filled pancakes as can fit comfortably in the pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drop into the sugar syrup. Turn in the syrup until well coated, then transfer to the wire rack to let the excess syrup drain off. Repeat with the remaining pancakes and serve within the hour. They are at their crunchiest and most delicious served immediately after frying.
Sweet-Salty Cassava Cakes
GETUK LINDRI
INDONESIA
Indonesian sweets are never very sweet and often they are also slightly salty. These cakes are a case in point, with a little salt added to the cassava before mixing with the sugar syrup.
SERVES 4 TO 6
½ cup (100 g) raw cane sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into chunks
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter
Sea salt
Natural yellow and green food coloring
1 cup (75 g) desiccated shredded coconut, for garnish
1. Put the raw sugar, vanilla sugar, and ⅔ cup (150 ml) water in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool.
2. Put the yuca in a steamer basket and steam for about 30 minutes, or until very soft. Transfer to a large bowl and while still hot, mash with the butter, adding a little salt, until you have a smooth puree.
3. Slowly add the sugar syrup and carry on mashing until you have a very smooth puree. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary—there needs to be a good balance between sweet and salty.
4. Divide in half and add one of the food colorings to each part. Use a sheet of plastic wrap to roll each piece into a log about 1¼ inches (3 cm) thick. Slice crosswise into disks about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick and arrange on a large platter in a rosette shape. You can also shape them into a square, scoring the top to create a pattern.
5. Steam the shredded coconut in a bamboo steamer or a steamer basket lined with cheesecloth for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened. Sprinkle the steamed grated coconut over the cassava cakes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Malaysian Pandan Balls
KLEPON/ONDE ONDE
INDONESIA | MALAYSIA
Klepon in Indonesia and onde onde in Malaysia, these sweet-salty rice flour balls filled with palm sugar and garnished with shredded coconut are totally addictive. I first had them in Banda Aceh, at Mita Sugesty’s house. It was Ramadan and even though the family was all fasting, Mita insisted that I should taste her mother’s klepon, which she made there and then for me to see how they were prepared. Mita’s mother used fresh pandan leaf to color her cakes but you may not find this, in which case use pandan paste, and if neither is available, use a natural green food coloring to impart the pale green color that is so typical of these rice balls.
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 pandan leaf or 2 to 3 drops pandan paste
1⅔ cups (250 g) glutinous rice flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup (150 g) crumbled palm sugar
1 cup (75 g) desiccated shredded coconut, for garnish
1. Break the pandan leaf (if you have it) in two and put it to steep in 1 cup (250 ml) water. Add the pandan paste drops and stir until the water is a deep green. Remove pandan leaf, if using.
2. Mix the rice flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the pandan-colored water little by little and mix until you have a soft, pastel-green dough.
3. Pinch a little dough and roll into a ball the size of a walnut. With a finger, make an indent in the middle of the ball of dough and put 1 teaspoon of crumbled palm sugar in the hole. Pinch the dough together to close and roll again into a ball, making sure there are no gaps from which the palm sugar can ooze out as you boil the klepon. Place on a large platter and make the remaining klepon in the same way.
4. Put the coconut in a bamboo steamer or a steamer basket lined with cheesecloth and steam for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened. Spread on a medium platter to make a bed of shredded coconut to place the klepon on. Sprinkle very lightly with salt.
5. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Working in batches, drop as many balls of klepon as will fit comfortably in the pot and boil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the balls float. When they do, let them boil for another 30 seconds or so, then transfer to the bed of shredded coconut. Roll the balls to coat with coconut and remove to a large serving platter.
6. Serve warm while the palm sugar is still melted inside.
Indian/Pakistani Milk Rice Pudding
KHEER
INDIA | PAKISTAN
There are variations on milk pudding in almost every single Middle Eastern and South Asian country. Some variations are slight, while others are more substantial, and some puddings are more elegant than others but all will be tasty. The one below is the Indian/Pakistani version, where the milk is thickened with rice, and has added nuts and raisins. Most other versions are plain and have a silkier texture, and the flavorings range from spices to fragrant waters.
SERVES 4
1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter
4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
¼ cup (50 g) basmati rice, rinsed, soaked for 30 minutes in cold water, and drained
⅓ cup (75 g) raw cane sugar
1 tablespoon slivered pistachios, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon slivered almonds, plus more for garnish
4 cashews, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon golden raisins
Seeds of 2 cardamom pods, coarsely ground
Pinch of saffron threads
Sea salt
Melt the ghee or butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Add the drained rice and let bubble, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the sugar, nuts, and golden raisins and let bubble for another 10 minutes. Add the cardamom, saffron, and a pinch of salt and let cook for another 15 minutes or so, or until the milk has reduced to a creamy consistency. Take off the heat and transfer to one large serving bowl or 4 individual bowls. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with more nuts.
Saffron Lebanese/Syrian Milk Pudding
MUHALLABIYEH BIL-ZA’FARAN
LEBANON | SYRIA
This Lebanese/Syrian version of milk pudding is very different from the South Asian one. Redolent with orange blossom and rose water as well as the intriguing flavor of mastic, this pudding is my favorite. Normally it is made thicker, but I prefer to use less cornstarch for a softer, more luxurious texture. I also flavor it with saffron to make it even more sumptuous, but you can leave the saffron out for a more traditional version.
SERVES 4 TO 6
4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
Good pinch of saffron threads
4½ heaping tablespoons (50 g) cornstarch
¾ cup (150 g) baker’s sugar or superfine sugar
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
2 teaspoons rose water
¼ teaspoon ground mastic (see Glossary)
2 tablespoons slivered pistachios, for garnish
1. Put 3½ cups (875 ml) milk in a saucepan and add the saffron. Let steep for 30 minutes while you prepare your ingredients. The saffron needs this time to flavor the milk before you start making the muhallabiyeh.
2. Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining ½ cup (125 ml) m
ilk.
3. Add the sugar to the saffron milk and place the pan over medium heat. Whisk the cornstach milk into the pan and continue whisking as you bring the milk to a boil. As soon as the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue whisking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the milk has thickened. Take off the heat.
4. Add the orange blossom and rose water, then add the mastic and quickly whisk it in. Pour into one large shallow serving bowl or into individual bowls. Let cool, then refrigerate until well chilled. Serve chilled, garnished with slivered pistachios.
Indonesian Black Rice Pudding
BUBUR PULUT HITAM
INDONESIA
Like milk puddings, rice puddings change from one Muslim country to another, usually with slight variations—until you get to Indonesia and Malaysia where the rice used is black and glutinous and it needs soaking for a few hours before using. Instead of dairy milk, both Indonesians and Malaysians use coconut cream, but as a sauce rather than a liquid for cooking the rice. As for longans, they are a sweet, juicy fruit related to lychees. When longans are dried, their white flesh turns almost black.
SERVES 4
FOR THE RICE PUDDING
¾ cup (150 g) black glutinous rice, soaked overnight in cold water and drained
2 pandan leaves, knotted, plus extra for garnish (optional)
2½ ounces (75 g) rock sugar (see Note)
1 ounce (30 g) palm sugar (see Note)
2 ounces (60 g) dried longans (optional)
FOR THE COCONUT SAUCE
1 cup (250 ml) coconut cream
1 teaspoon salt
1. Put 6 cups (1.5 liters) water into a medium pot and add the drained rice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Drop the knotted pandan leaves (if using) into the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let bubble gently until the rice opens up and expands, about 1 hour.
2. Add the two sugars and the dried longans (if using) and let simmer, uncovered, for another 25 minutes, still stirring very regularly.
3. Meanwhile, make the coconut sauce: Put the coconut cream and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Take off the heat and keep warm.
4. Divide the hot rice pudding into 4 individual bowls, drizzle one-quarter of the warm coconut sauce over each, and serve immediately. If you have managed to get pandan leaves, cut four pieces into a nice shape and spike one in each bowl for a traditional presentation.
NOTE: If you can’t get rock sugar or palm sugar, substitute an equal amount of brown sugar.
Moroccan Rice Pudding
ROZZ B’LEHLIB
MOROCCO
Rice puddings are common throughout the Middle East although they vary slightly from one country to another. In Turkey, saffron is added and no milk is used, whereas in Lebanon you have orange blossom and rose water as the main flavorings. The Moroccan version here is cooked longer and only flavored with orange blossom water. It is also softer and more velvety and fragrant and possibly more delightful than the Lebanese, Syrian, or Egyptian versions.
SERVES 4
¾ cup (150 g) short-grain white rice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
2½ cups (625 ml) whole milk
⅓ cup (75 g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
⅓ cup (50 g) blanched almonds, toasted for 6 to 7 minutes in a hot oven until golden brown
1. Rinse the rice under cold water and put in a medium pot. Add 1½ cups (375 ml) water and the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the butter, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the water is almost completely absorbed.
2. Uncover, add the milk and sugar, increase the heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble gently, uncovered, stirring the rice regularly so that it does not stick, for 5 minutes, or until the rice pudding has the consistency of runny porridge.
3. Take off the heat and add the orange blossom water. Pour into a shallow serving bowl or individual bowls. Let cool. Garnish with the toasted almonds and serve at room temperature.
Syrian/Lebanese Rice Pudding
REZZ BIL-HALIB
SYRIA | LEBANON
For this rice pudding, the rice is cooked with less milk than the Moroccan version for a slightly less creamy pudding, and rose water is also added for a more fragrant flavor.
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 cup (200 g) short-grain white rice, rinsed under cold water and drained
1¼ cups (310 ml) whole milk, plus more as needed
½ cup (100 g) raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Slivered pistachios, for garnish
1. Put the rice in a medium pot with 2 cups (500 ml) water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook the rice, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rice has absorbed all the water.
2. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring very regularly so that the rice doesn’t stick or dry up, for 20 more minutes, or until the texture is like that of custard. Add a little more milk if you think it is becoming too dry.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the rose water and orange blossom water. Pour the rice pudding into a big shallow serving bowl or individual bowls. Let cool. Serve at room temperature, garnished with slivered pistachios.
Turkish Saffron Rice Pudding
ZERDE
TURKEY
This rice pudding must be a direct descendant of the Iranian sholeh zerd, both as far as the name is concerned and the way it is made, except that Iranians also add oil or butter to theirs whereas Turks don’t use any fat but add a few slivered nuts for texture.
SERVES 6
Good pinch of saffron threads
¼ cup (60 ml) rose water
½ cup (100 g) Calasparra or other short-grain rice
¾ cup (150 g) superfine sugar
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
1 tablespoon slivered pistachios, plus more for garnish
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (if in season)
1. Put the saffron threads to soak in the rose water.
2. Rinse the rice under cold water and put in a medium pot. Add 6 cups (1.5 liters) water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the sugar and let simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the rice has expanded and is very soft.
3. Add the nuts and the saffron rose water and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes, or until the rice is like a thin porridge. It will thicken as it sits.
4. Pour into 6 individual bowls or one large serving bowl and let cool. Serve at room temperature garnished with more slivered pistachios and pomegranate seeds if you have them.
SWEET FRITTERS
* * *
You find sweet fritters throughout the Muslim world from Zanzibar (where they are called kaimati) to Saudi Arabia (where they go by the name of loqmat al-qadi or “the bite of the judge”) to Lebanon and Syria (‘uwwamat or “floating”) to Turkey (loqma or “bite”) to the Arabian Gulf (l’geimat or “bites”). In Pakistan, the fritters are made differently, mainly with dried or powdered milk, and are known as gulab jamun—from the Persian, gol (“flower”) and ab (“water”), while jamun is a Hindi-Urdu word for a fruit that has the same shape as the milk fritters.
There are slight variations between the Levantine and Arabian fritters with some being crisper and sweeter while the Arabian ones are softer and less sweet with added saffron and cardamom. The South Asian version is quite a lot softer because of the milk solids and as a result a lot more syrupy. I am giving recipes for the most distinctive variations (see Saudi Sweet Fritters and South Asian Sweet Milk Fritters).
Saffron-Flavored Fritters
L’GEIMAT
ARABIAN GULF
Traditionally, l’geimat are served drizzled with date syrup, but many Arabian cooks sweeten them
with a sugar syrup flavored with saffron and cardamom. You can also serve these drizzled with date syrup.
SERVES 6 TO 8
FOR THE FRITTERS
1 cup (120 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (120 g) white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon instant (fast-acting) yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (125 g) yogurt
1 organic egg
Sugar Syrup
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1. To make the fritters: Mix both flours, the yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the yogurt and ½ cup (125 ml) water. Add the egg and mix until you have a very loose dough or a very thick batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Set the sugar syrup near the stove. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat until very hot (if you drop a piece of bread in the oil, the oil should immediately bubble around it). Use one of the different ways of forming round fritters (see Forming Round Fritters), then drop the fritters in the hot oil and fry them until golden brown all over, stirring all the time to color them evenly, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove to a sieve to let the excess oil drain. Serve immediately or soon after frying, drizzled with sugar syup.
SUGAR SYRUP
* * *
2 cups (400 g) raw cane sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 small cinnamon stick
A pinch of saffron threads