Delicious UK - (05)May 2020

Bangladeshicoconutpastries

MAKES16.HANDS-ONTIME1 HOUR 20 MIN,

INCLUDINGRESTINGTIME

MAKE

AHEAD

Thepastrieswillkeepwellfor

a dayatroomtemperatureand

uptoa fewdaysinthefridge,

covered.Refreshina medium-hotovenfor

about5 minutesbeforeserving.Thefilling

willkeepina liddedjarforuptoa week.

KNOW-

HOW

Datemolasses(alsoknownas

datesyrup)isa velvetysmooth

syrupmadefrompresseddate

pulp.It addsa complexdried-fruitflavour

witha sweetfinish.Useit inbaking,stir

intoporridgeorusetofinishsavoury

bakesandcasseroles.Buyfromlarger

supermarketsoronlineatamazon.co.uk.

FOOD

TEAM’S

TIP

If youdon’tfancydoingthewhole

recipe,youcanmakeshortcrust

pastrytartswiththefilling.

FORTHEFILLING

• 1 smallcinnamonstick


• 4 cardamompods


• 1 bayleaf


• 150gdesiccatedcoconut


• 1 tspghee(clarifiedbutter)


• 180gdatemolasses(seeKnowHow)

FORTHEDOUGH

• 250gplainflour,plusextratodust


• ¼tspsalt
  
  
  • ½tspsugar
  
  
  • 2 tbspvegetableoil,plusextra
    fordeep-frying
  
  
  • Driedediblepetalstodecorate
    (optional;fromsouschef.co.uk)
  
  
  
  

YOU’LLALSONEED...

• Digitalprobethermometer;
  traylinedwithkitchenpaper

1 Tomakethefilling,bring400mlwater

totheboilina mediumsaucepan,addthe

cinnamon,cardamomandbayleaf,then

simmerfor1 minute.Stirinthecoconut,

thenturntheheattolow.Cookfor

12-15minutes,stirringoccasionally,until

thecoconuthassoftenedandabsorbed

allthewater.Removefromtheheat.

2 Ina fryingpanovera mediumheat,melt

theghee,thenstirinthecoconutmixture.

Addthedatemolasses,thencookgently

for7-8minutesmoreuntilthemolasses

hasblendedwiththecoconutandthe

mixtureissoftwitha caramelconsistency.

If it'sa bitrunny,cookit for2 minutesmore.

Takeit offtheheatandleavetocool

completely(itwillthickenasit cools).

3 Meanwhile,tomakethedough,combine

theflour,salt,sugarandoilina bowl.

Mixin125mlwater,thenaddmore,a

tablespoonata time,untilyouhavea soft,

firmdough.Kneada fewtimes,thencover

andleavetorestfor 20 minutes.

4 Whenyou’rereadytomakethepastries,

shapeheapedtablespoonsofthecooled

fillingmixtureintoroughballs.Kneadthe

doughwellona lightlyflouredsurface

forabout5 minutes.Divideinto 16 equal

portions,thenrolleachintoa thinround

about0.5cmthickand8cmindiameter.

5 Puta balloffillingonthelowerhalfof

eachroundofpastry,about1cmfromthe

edge,thenfoldthepastryovertocoverthe

fillingtomakea half-moon-shapedparcel.

Tosealthepastry,crimptheedgesor

presstogetherlightlywitha fork,making

sureyoueaseoutanyairbubbles.Repeat

withtheremainingdoughandfilling.

6 Filla deepfryingpan/wokwithoilto

a depthofabout5cm,thenputovera high

heatuntiltheoilreaches190°Cona digital

probethermometer(ora cubeofbread

turnsgoldenin 30 seconds).Carefullyfry

upto5 pastriesata time,turningtheheat

downtoverylowassoonasyou’veadded

thepastries.They’lltake4-5minutesand

shouldbepalegoldenwhendone.Liftout

thecookedpastrieswitha slottedspoon,

thendrainonthepreparedtrayandkeep

warm.Repeatwiththeremainingpastries,

bringingtheoilbackuptotemperature

eachtime,thenloweringtofryeachbatch.

7 Scatterthepastrieswithpetals(optional)

andservewarmwitha cupoftea(orsee

MakeAhead).

PERPASTRY(FOR16)201kcals,11.9gfat

(5.6gsaturated),2gprotein,22.8gcarbs

(6.6gsugars),0.1gsalt,2.4gfibre

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 107

Mymotherhasbeenmakingthesesweetsforaslongas

I canremember,andtherecipeisbasedononepasseddownby

hermother.WhenI wasyoung,I usedtositatthekitchentable

withher,helpingtokneadthedoughandshapethepastries.

AsI grewolder,I madethefillingandwasallowedtofrythem.

Bangladeshisknownforitssweet-makingtraditions,and

narkel[coconut-basedsweets]areparticularlylovedinour

family.Thesecrettothef lakypastryisinthetinybitofoil

addedtothedough,alongwithsaltandsugar thelatterhelps

givethesepastriestheirwonderfulgoldenhue.Mymotherisanexpertcookand

overtheyearsI’velearnedtipsandtricksfromherthatmakea hugedifference

tothewayI cookBangladeshifood.Onesuchtrickisthewaypastriesarefried:

alwaysgoingintoa panofhotoilovera highheat,thencookingveryslowlyover

a lowheat.Thisgivesa crispexteriorandhelpsthemtocookthroughevenly.

InBangladeshthepastriesaremadewithfreshcoconutfilling,butdesiccated

coconutworks,too aslongasyoudon’trushtherehydrationprocess.Toastingthe

coconutingheebeforethemolassesisaddedresultsina fragrantcaramelfilling

withhintsofcinnamon,cardamomandbay thetriumvirateofBangladeshi

dessertspicing.Whena freshbatchisfrying,there’swidespreadanticipationin

thehouse.ThesepastriesareoneofthereasonsI lookforwardtoEidsomuch.

• ThisyearEidal-Fitris celebratedon 23 May;followDinaonTwitterandInstagram@dinasfoodstory

food memories.

MA KNOWS BEST

Dina learned

from her mum,

Sultana

RECIPE: DINA BEGUM. PHOTOGRAPH: STUAR

T WEST. FOOD STYLING: SOPHIE

AUSTEN-SMITH. STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS