Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert from Ottoman times. I made this simple recipe with minimal effort yet maximum satisfaction. After trying so many sweet pumpkin desserts last Autumn, I concluded that only savoury pumpkin dishes were for me. Well, I changed my mind after trying this Turkish sweet. I tried my hand at it for the first time in Autumn (2021) and it was simply Love at first Taste!! A friend from my Alma Mater suggested I try making Kabak Tatlisi and ever since then, it has become our favourite Autumn Dessert. It’s still a favourite during Winter even!

Diabetic Friendly, Vegan and Gluten-Free.

Never had pumpkin as a dessert on its own? Forget about your classic pumpkin pie and make this super easy Turkish Sweet Delight. This Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert will be a hit with your family especially during the holidays. Being Vegan, gluten-free and so easy to make, my recipe is also Diabetic friendly with a couple of tweaks.

Calorie Conscious?

I substituted sugar with Erythritol and clotted cream with Creme Fraiche (need to watch my calories and sugar GI levels). It still turned out sooo good! Ever since this new discovery, we have had it every week. The bonus part of this dessert is that with reasonable portions, it did not disrupt my blood glucose levels.

While being a super easy recipe with a basic of only 3 ingredients, you can enhance the flavour with the addition of ginger and a couple of other spices. It’s all a matter of personal taste and preference. You even have a choice of optional garnishing (tahini, clotted cream, creme fraiche) and coarsely chopped nuts as a final topping (walnuts and pistachios).

How to prepare and clean a pumpkin.

Mature pumpkins are best to use for kabak tatlısı. If the skin is tough, use a knife to peel the pumpkin. Vegetable peelers are better for younger, thinner-skinned pumpkins and squashes. Cut the pumpkin in half, and scrape out the seeds and pulp with a large metal spoon.

Lay the pumpkin halves flat side down, and cut in half again, repeat until you have the required amount of segments.

Save the seeds. Remove the seeds from the pulp, and rinse. Pat dry, place on a baking tray in a medium-hot oven, and bake for 10 minutes. I use toasted pumpkin seeds in oats, yogurts, salads and my favourite is garnish for Pumpkin Soup. 

How to make Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert.

There are 2 options to make this dessert, on stove top or in the Oven.

Place pumpkin pieces in a large heavy bottom pot in one layer and sprinkle spices (optional) and sugar over. cover and set aside overnight for best results. Minimum 6 hours. Pumpkin juices will be released and dissolve the sugar.

Method 1 : Boil pumpkin cubes in it’s juice till soft but not mushy. Cool and serve with choice of garnishings and toppings.

Method 2 : Place pumpkin pieces in one layer on a baking tray and pour it’s juice over it. Bake for 30 mins. Cool and serve with choice of garnishings and toppings.

How To Serve Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert.

You can serve the candied pumpkin with the following options :

A dollop of clotted cream or creme fraiche, A drizzle of tahini paste, Coarsely chopped Nuts OR go all out and have a bit of everything! My husband loves it with creme fraiche and pistachios and I enjoy it with tahini sauce and walnuts.

Other Pumpkin Recipes

Try another Turkish Dessert : Muhallebi (Mahalabia) Milk Pudding

Prefer a Savoury Pumpkin Dish instead? Try Savoury Sweet Pumpkin Fry (Labu Masak Cili)

As always: If you liked this recipe please give us a rating and/or let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

If you make this recipe, post a pic on Instagram too and tag @sweetsharings with hashtag #sweetsharings for a shout out.

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Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert

Never had pumpkin as a dessert on its own? Forget about your classic pumpkin pie and make this Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert instead. It will be a hit with your family especially during the holiday season. Vegan, gluten-free and so easy to make! If you liked this recipe, please leave a ratng below.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Asian, Turkish

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword candy, dessert, diabetic friendly, gluten-free, make ahead, Pumpkin, super easy, sweet, turkish, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

resting time 8 hours hours

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories

Equipment

• 1 Large heavy bottom pot OR oven pan
• 1 Large Sharp knife

Ingredients

• 450 gm pumpkin – weight after cleaned
• 1 cup sugar I used Erythritol (diabetic friendly)
• 1-2 tablespoons tahini/clotted cream/creme fraiche
• 1 thumb size ginger julienned and optional
• 1 stick cinnamon small stick and optional
• a few cardamom pods crushed and optional
• Pistachios or walnuts for garnish crumbled and optional

Instructions

• Peel, wash and cut the pumpkin. Remove seeds and clean the fibrous parts out. Cut the pumpkin into desired wedge/cube sizes or rectangular pieces of about 1×2 inches (3×5 cm)
• Place the pumpkin pieces and spices in a large heavy bottom pot, preferably a Dutch oven. The pot must be large because the maximum number of pumpkin pieces must touch the bottom in a single layer.
• Sprinkle sugar and choice of spices if any over the pumpkin pieces.
• Cover with lid and set aside overnight or at least 6 hours. Best results always overnight and especially so if using erythritol instead of sugar.
• The pumpkin pieces will release their juice during the sitting time, so there is no need to add extra water while boiling it. If the juices do not almost cover the pieces, then add just a little water. I have never had to add any water.

Method 1

• Place the pot with pumpkin cubes on stove and bring it to a boil on medium high heat. Once it starts to boil, immediately lower heat to medium low and leave uncovered.
• Simmer until soft but not mushy. Let it cool completely in the same pot.

Method 2

• Preheat oven at 180C/375F. Place the pumpkin cubes/slices on a baking pan in one layer. Pour the juice over pumpkin slices. Bake for 20-30 minutes until tender. Let it cool completely.

After pumpkin pieces have been Cooked.

• Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container or covered dish. Refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to an hour. Can be served hot too but most commonly served as a cold dessert.
• Serve with a drizzle of tahini sauce OR a dollop of clotted cream OR creme fraiche. It's a matter of personal taste and diet preference.
• You can optionally garnish it with crumbled pistachio or walnuts.

Notes

This dessert is so versatile, you can serve it with a choice or all of the suggested garnishig and toppings. It’s just a matter of personal taste.

If you are diabetic or need to watch your calorie intake :

1. substitute sugar with Erythritol or similar.
2. substitute clotted cream with creme fraich

 

The post Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert. Super Easy 3-Ingredient Kabak Tatlisi. appeared first on Sweet Sharings.

What are the ingredients?

Muhallebi is essentially a sweet creamy dessert, in many ways similar to the French blancmange. It is made with a combination of milk and sugar that is cooked and thickened with cornstarch or rice flour. Traditionally, found cardamom is used for flavour and a dusting of cinnamon as garnish. However, most recipes usually use orange blossom, vanilla, or rose water and is typically served cold.

Where does Muhallebi Milk Pudding originate from?

The earliest recorded recipes date back around a thousand years. Since the beginning, there have been multiple ways of making this delicious milk pudding or custard. The main ingredient is always fresh milk, but the thickener and toppings vary.

This simple treat is believed by some to have Turkish origins and is enjoyed in slightly different forms across the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, and North Africa. Milk puddings are common across the world. Muhallebi is certainly not specifically Turkish and Mahalabia not specific to the Arab World. Depending on the region, it can be garnished with typical local ingredients such as pistachios, date syrup, almonds, walnuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon, or raisins. 

I found this recipe from a magazine, adapted from the cookbook ’Syria : Recipes from Home’and made some changes by adding evaporated milk.

Muhallebi Milk Pudding Variations:

The adapted recipe had only whole fresh milk as the main ingredient. I usually love a creamier taste so I tried the recipe with half whole milk and half evaporated milk. Sometimes I use double cream instead of evaporated milk. Both ways work well and I found that it had a richer, smoother velvety texture in the latter choices. 

Cornflour can be substituted with Rice Flour. Using corn starch will yield a smooth consistency, while rice flour will have a bit of texture. 

Mahalabia with condensed milk: Replace the cream with condensed milk and omit the sugar.

How to serve and Party Tips

If you’re not a fan of cardamom or floral flavours, you can add a bit of vanilla or almond extract; In fact, any flavouring is fine and a matter of personal preference. You can also skip it all together for just a plain sweet milk pudding. It’s a dessert very much similar to the pannacotta as well, minus the gelatine. 

Let your imagination flow and get creative with the Garnish and Toppings. You can use any nuts, raisins, rose petals or even fruit puree and much more! Here are some suggestions :

Crushed pistachios or toasted almonds are used as a common garnish. If you have a nut allergy or don’t fancy them, then just leave them out. 

Crushed rose petals are another common topping used is many middle eastern desserts. Gives some contrast colour to the dessert.

Fruit Puree such as mango or passion fruit gives a a nice mild tangy flavour in contrast to the sweet pudding. 

Seasonal Fruits. – Try berries in Summer and Pomegranate in Winter…equally aesthetically pleasing and and delicious!

Chocolate! Not traditional but always a favourite. You can use chocolate shavings or spoon over some chocolate ganache. 

Balsamic fruit. I use chopped strawberries mixed with pomegranate molasses and some castor sugar— a sharp tangy contrast with the sweet creamy Mahallabia makes it an exciting fusion of flavours.

Dried fruit or desiccated coconut or Rose jam or Date Syrup. Take your pick!

WINTER VERSION: 

For a wintry feel, serve it hot and sprinkle a little cinnamon or mix it with your other garnishings before topping.

Notes : 

This is a Make Ahead Dessert. Make the puddings at least 3-5 hours before serving. Overnight for best results. They keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Be sure to use a heavy bottom saucepan or milk pan to avoid the milk from burning and causing bits in the mahalabia.

If you are going to chill it overnight, cover the cups/dishes with cling film or saucers to prevent the Mahalabia from drying out and forming a crust-like layer. This also prevents it from absorbing any other food smells in the fridge. 

You may also like :

Quick no bake Yogurt cheesecake in a glass

Turkish Pumpkin Candy Dessert

Summer Fruit Cobbler

Coconut Water Jelly

Vegan Coconut Rice Pudding

Creamy Blueberry Coconut Popsicles

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Muhallebi (Mahalabia) Milk Pudding

The milk pudding known as muhallebi or mahalabia is as good as they come. Light, gently flavoured and super easy to make at home. It is a Make Ahead dessert and is a must try! If you like Milky Puddings as I do, then you're going to like this one! It is delicious and takes only few minutes to prepare.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Middle Eastern, North Africa, Turkish

Keyword dessert, gluten-free, mahalabia, make ahead, Middle Eastern, muhallebi, party, pudding, sweet, turkish, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chilling time 5 hours hours

Servings 4

Calories 210kcal

Author Nurdiyanah Magness

Equipment

• heavy bottom saucepan or milk pan

Ingredients

• 500 ml fresh whole milk. 2 cups
• 500 ml evaporated milk OR double/heavy cream 2 cups
• 150 gm Castor Sugar 5 oz – adjust as per desired sweetness. I used 100gm
• 70 gm cornflour/cornstarch OR rice flour 6 tbsp
• 2-3 tsp rose water OR orange blossom water OR 1/4 tsp rose extract
• 4 pods green cardamoms finely crushed seeds (optional)

Garnish (optional)

• crushed pistachios or toasted almonds
• edible rose petals Check Notes for more choices

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal

I’m really excited for you to try this super easy Recipe. If you do try this, I hope you’ll come back to leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think! You can also share a photo of it on instagram and tag me @sweetsharings with hashtag #sweetsharings

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The post Muhallebi (Mahalabia) Milk Pudding appeared first on Sweet Sharings.

If you are in the mood for an exotic rice preparation then this aromatic spice blend is a must. When using pilau spices, the best rice to use would be long grain and preferably the aromatic Basmati Rice. What is it that makes these spices so alluring? They have incredible medicinal and even psychotropic, or mind-altering, capacities. They’re like aromatherapy and they satisfy both the physical and spiritual needs.

This recipe can be doubled or increased to make bulk for storage and it lasts up to 4 months in an airtight glass jar. I use this Spice Blend to make my all time favourite go to 'pop in the oven' One-Pot Ginger Chicken Pilau. My husband loves it and never fails to go for a second helping.

Interesting facts and Ayurvedic uses of these spices : 

Cardamom – used to give flavour and smell in cooking particularly in sweet dishes and also in the pharmaceutical sector. It helps in digestive disorders and controlling bad breath.

Cinnamon  – used for preparing masalas and for seasoning food. It reduces blood cholesterol and helps in the production of insulin.

Cumin – used in cooking and is a good source of iron and keep one immune from diseases. Cumin seeds boiled in water helps in coping with dysentery.

Turmeric – used in cooking and in skin care products. It helps in healing cuts and wounds and in skin problems. It also helps in coping with diabetes.

Black Pepper – used in cooking and seasoning. It helps in coping with muscle pains, cold, cough, infections and digestive problems.

Garlic – used in cooking and helps to cope with cough and cold and has antibiotic properties.

Ginger – used in cooking and helps in cough and cold and aids in preventing digestive problems.

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Pilau Spice Blend

Pilau spice blend or Masala is a spice mix that is made of cumin, cinnamon, black peppercorn seeds and cardamom pods as the basic ingredients. Other added ingredients vary with different regions and recipes as well as personal preference. The spice mix is then normally used to make pilau rice. The recipe below is what I used in my personal blend.

Cuisine Indian, Iranian, Middle East

Keyword black peppercons, cardamom, cumin, garlic, ginger, masala, pilaf, pilau, spices, turmeric

Calories

Author sweetsharings

Ingredients

• ½ tsp ground fresh Cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground Cumin
• ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
• ½ tsp Ginger powder
• ½ tsp all spice or garam Masala optional
• ½ tsp turmeric powder optional
• 1 tsp ground mixed dried bell pepper
• 1 tsp Garlic powder or granules
• ½ tsp Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt Flakes optional

Instructions

• Put all the above in a bowl, give it a good stir and mix till well combined.
• You can double or triple the amounts if needed.
• Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
• Use as needed.

Notes

I grind all organic whole spices. You can use the ready ground powders as a short cut. Your dish will taste just as good though not as aromatic. Recipe can be doubled or increased to make bulk for storage. Lasts up to 4 months.

Did You Try this Recipe? Let me know in the comments. I woud love to know! Alternatively you can Post a photo of it on instagram and mention @sweetsharings with hashtag #sweetsharings

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The post Pilau Spice Blend appeared first on Sweet Sharings.

A little history :

Pilau (UK spelling) or Pilaf (US spelling) is usually a rice dish that involves cooking in stock or broth. Spices and other ingredients are added as well to make a flavourful and nutritious meal.

Pilau was most likely invented in India some time after the importation of Rice to the Indus River valley. It is believed that the earliest forms of our modern word “Pilaf” are the Indo Aryan words “Pula,” (meaning a dish of rice & meat) and / or “Pulāka” (from the Sanskrit meaning a lump of boiled rice).

How long does it take to cook the One-Pot Ginger Chicken Pilau? 

It takes the chicken an hour to cook and an additional 25 minutes for the rice and a standing time of 10 minutes. I marinate or massage the chicken with the ready home made spice blend for just a couple minutes, and Voila! it’s ready to cook.

If you have the time, keep the marinated chicken in the fridge for a couple hours or even overnight. This gives for maximum flavour and tenderness.

Main Equipment :

Heavy Bottom Cast Iron Caserole

You will need a heavy bottom pan with a heavy lid, preferably a Cast Iron casserole with a Heavy Lid.  If you do not have a heavy fitting lid, find a way to securely cover a deep cast iron with double layer of foil. We do not want the broth to bubble and spill over.

Spatchcock Style

I used a shallow Cast iron pan and I did a spatchcock style to get the chicken flat enough to close the lid. Spatchcocking a chicken means to cut the chicken’s back lengthwise down the spine and then flattening it by pressing on the chest. With the bones faced down, the maximum flavour of the chicken will be released into the liquid. The released juices within the enclosure makes for an aromatic and flavourful Rice. As a result of cooking in it’s own fat and juices, you get a delicious and tender chicken.

Be very careful with handling your cast iron casserole as it is VERY heavy and even more so with food in it and is extremely hot. You need safe grip holders/thick oven gloves.

What Spices?

I use only organic ground spices and herbs and make my own blend. It’s a personal preference and I find them much more aromatic and most importantly, non GMO. You can access my home made pilau spice recipe here. 

The cooked chicken is juicy and tender that it slides off the bones easily. As a result, my Basmati turned out moist and fluffy too. Comfort or Autumn food? I say both! Such a delicious one pot comfort food, easy yet nutritious. I made the spice blend long beforehand and stored it in jars just for a rainy day like this.

Recipe Tips

This Pilau goes well with any chicken rice sauce,curry or tomato gravy. I enjoy it though with just a mix of fresh red chillies and tomatoes blended with lemon juice and a little salt... Yumm!

Serve with a leafy salad alongside too. If you’re feeding children, add some vegetable in the pilau itself. I usually add 1 large diced carrot and 1 large deseeded pepper. The vegetables are added in at the time the rice is.

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One-Pot Ginger Chicken Pilau

My own fusion of Asian and Indian cuisine comprising of Rice and chicken cooked in a broth with spices. So easy and tasty, you'll want seconds. Serve a leafy salad alongside it with and optional chicken rice sauce of chillies and tomatoes blended with some lemon juice and salt.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Eastern Europe, Indian, Iranian, Middle East, Turkish

Keyword chicken, cuisine, garlic, ginger, indian, iranian, main course, pilaf, pilau, recipe, rice, spices, turkish

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Resting time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories

Author Nurdiyanah Magness

Equipment

• Heavy Bottom caserole with heavy lid. Preferebly Cast Iron.
• Safe Grip holders or thick Oven Mits

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken medium
• 200 gm Basmati Rice
• 2 tbsp Pilau Spice Blend. half for the chicken marinade and half for the rice.
• 4 slices ginger.
• 2 slices fresh turmeric or 1/2 – 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 pods Garlic crushed
• 600 ml Water
• some parsley or coriander leaves for garnishing.
• salt to taste pepper or more spices to your liking. (optional)
• ½ Lemon Rind

Notes

Be very careful with handling your cast iron casserole as it is VERY heavy and hot. You need safe grip holders or thick oven gloves. 

Serve with a leafy salad alongside too. If you’re feeding children, add some vegetable in the pilau itself. I usually add 1 large diced carrot and 1 large deseeded pepper. The vegetables are added in with the rice.

This Pilau goes well with any chicken rice sauce, curry or tomato gravy. I enjoy it though with just a mix of fresh red chillies and tomatoes blended with lemon juice and a little salt. 

I’m really excited for you to try this Recipe with your own variations too. If you do try this, I hope you’ll come back to leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think!  Post a photo of it on instagram and mention @sweetsharings with hashtag #sweetsharings

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The post One-Pot Ginger Chicken Pilau appeared first on Sweet Sharings.