Poolaki

Ingredients

Candy

• 400 gsugar
• 150 mlwater
• 2 tbspglucose syrup, or 1 tsp lemon juice

Flavour, choose one

• a good pinch of saffron, ground and steeped
• 2 tbsptoasted sesame seeds
• 3 tbspdesiccated coconut
• 2 tbspground pistachio
• 1 tspground cardamom

Equipment

• a sugar thermometer
• a marble slab or a silicone mat
• a spoon with a long handle

To serve

• black tea

Directions

1. Grind saffron with a pinch of sugar rather than using whole threads, because the crystals shred the threads and release far more colour.
2. Lay out a marble slab or a silicone mat and have everything ready before you start. There is no pause once the syrup is at temperature, so the workspace must be prepared in advance. Put the sugar, water and glucose in a heavy pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.
3. Brush the sides of the pan down with a wet brush to wash any stray crystals back in. The glucose or lemon juice inverts some of the sugar and stops it crystallising, and without it the candy goes opaque.
4. Boil it to 150 to 155°C (300 to 310°F), the hard crack stage. Use a thermometer and be exact. Below this the discs stay tacky and never set hard; above it the sugar caramelises and turns bitter.
5. Take it off the heat the moment it reaches temperature and let the bubbling subside for 20 seconds. Stir in the saffron water, sesame, coconut or whatever flavouring you are using, quickly.
6. Add the flavouring off the heat and work fast, because the syrup begins setting immediately. Each spoonful spreads on its own into a thin disc, which is the whole trick. Work quickly across the slab, because the syrup in the pan thickens as it cools. If it becomes too stiff to pour, warm it very briefly, though it will not tolerate this many times.
7. Let the discs cool completely and harden on the slab, which takes about 15 minutes. Lift them off with a palette knife. They should be thin, brittle, glassy and translucent, and they should snap cleanly.

Technique

• Saffron poolaki is the most prized and the most expensive.
• Sesame, coconut, cardamom and pistachio are the other standard flavours.
• They keep for months in a sealed tin in dry conditions.

Substitutions

• Lemon juice in place of glucose syrup, which does the same job less reliably.
• A silicone mat in place of marble.

Variations

• Saffron poolaki, which is deep gold.
• Sesame or coconut poolaki.
• With ground pistachio pressed into the surface.

History

An Isfahan speciality flavoured with saffron, sesame or coconut, poured and set by hand into coin shapes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Poolaki?

Poolaki is a dessert from Iran: paper-thin discs of hard sugar candy dropped into tea to sweeten it. An Isfahan speciality flavoured with saffron, sesame or coconut, poured and set by hand into coin shapes.

How long does Poolaki take to make?

Poolaki takes 15 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 discs. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Poolaki?

Yes, within limits. Lemon juice in place of glucose syrup, which does the same job less reliably. A silicone mat in place of marble.

What is the most important thing to get right in Poolaki?

Grind saffron with a pinch of sugar rather than using whole threads, because the crystals shred the threads and release far more colour.