Ingredients
Pumpkin
- 1 kgpumpkin, peeled and cubed
- 300 mlwater
To cook
- 150 gplain flour
- 100 gghee
- 500 mlwater or milk
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
To flavour
- a generous pinch of saffron, steeped in hot water
- 1 teaspoonground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoonground turmeric, optional
- 100 gsugar, or to taste
To serve
- date syrup, dibs
- extra melted ghee
- chopped nuts
- ground cinnamon
Directions
- Use a dense orange-fleshed pumpkin rather than a watery one. Those are stringy and hold far too much water. Crush the saffron threads between your fingers. Steep them in three tablespoons of hot water. Leave it for twenty minutes to draw the colour out. The liquid should turn a deep orange gold.
- Peel the pumpkin and cut it into even cubes. Put it in a pot with the three hundred millilitres of water. Cover it and simmer it for about fifteen minutes. The pumpkin should be completely soft and collapsing.
- Mash it thoroughly with a masher or a stick blender. It should be entirely smooth with no lumps left. Melt the ghee in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and stir it into the ghee.
- Cook it, stirring constantly, for about eight minutes. It will turn from pale to a warm golden brown. Add the mashed pumpkin to the toasted flour. Stir hard as it goes in, since it will seize immediately. Whisk continuously as you pour it in. The mixture will loosen into a thick smooth porridge. Keep the heat low and stir it constantly.
- Flour and pumpkin both catch and scorch easily. The raw flour taste must disappear completely. Add hot water if it becomes too stiff to stir. Seasoning it is done near the end of cooking. Stir in the saffron water and the ground cardamom. Add the turmeric if you want a deeper colour. Add the sugar and the salt to it.
- Taste it and adjust the sweetness to your liking. It should be thick but still fall from a spoon. Add hot milk to loosen it if it has gone too far. Serving it is done warm in shallow bowls.
- Spoon it into bowls and smooth the surface. Make a shallow well in the middle of each one. Pour melted ghee into that well generously. Scatter chopped nuts and a little cinnamon over it. It keeps two days covered in the refrigerator.
Technique
- Aseeda bobar belongs to the same family as the stiff wheat aseeda but is much softer and is treated as a sweet porridge.
- Date syrup, called dibs in the Gulf, is poured over a great many Emirati sweets and is not interchangeable with honey.
Substitutions
- Butternut squash is an excellent substitute for the pumpkin.
- Butter can replace ghee, though ghee gives the flavour that belongs to the dish.
Variations
- Some households make it with milk throughout for a richer porridge.
- A version with rosewater instead of saffron is made in some families.
- The plain wheat aseeda is the savoury relative served with stew.
History
Ramadan sweet of mashed pumpkin cooked slowly with flour and ghee, served warm in bowls.
Frequently asked questions
What is Aseeda bobar?
Aseeda bobar is a dessert from United Arab Emirates: pumpkin porridge with saffron, cardamom and date syrup. Ramadan sweet of mashed pumpkin cooked slowly with flour and ghee, served warm in bowls.
How long does Aseeda bobar take to make?
Aseeda bobar takes 20 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Aseeda bobar?
Yes, within limits. Butternut squash is an excellent substitute for the pumpkin. Butter can replace ghee, though ghee gives the flavour that belongs to the dish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Aseeda bobar?
Use a dense orange-fleshed pumpkin rather than a watery one. Those are stringy and hold far too much water. Crush the saffron threads between your fingers. Steep them in three tablespoons of hot water. Leave it for twenty minutes to draw the colour out. The liquid should turn a deep orange gold.
