Moufataka

  Moufataka is  rice pudding with tahini & turmeric. It is a recipe from my husband’s family. It is a very rich, tasteful and colourful pudding.

1 cup Ground Rice or Pudding Rice

2 cup Sugar

3 cup Water  (if using pudding  rice add 1 cup water)

1 cup Tahini

1 tbsp Turmeric

Handfull of Pine Nuts (optional)

Put water, rice and turmeric in saucepan on the hob until the rice is cooked (This recipe is made with pudding rice but I prefer to use ground rice as it is easily cooked). Add tahini and sugar. Lower the heat under saucepan. Stir continuously till the mixture start bubbling gently. The mixture becomes thick, creamy and the tahini oil starts coming up to the surface. It might take up to 40-50 min... Pour in serving plate & sprinkle the pine nuts on top. Let it cool at room temperature.

Sfouf Bil Debs ( Carob Molasses Cake)

        Debs el kharoub, or carob molasses, is a thick sweet syrup made by soaking milled carob pods in water and reducing the extracted liquid. In Lebanon, carob molasses was traditionally used as an alternative to sugar.

   

  Sfouf  is a cake a little bit on the dry side ...So easy to make and absolutely wonderful....

Ingredients:

4 cups Flour

1 cup corn oil

1 cup Debs el Karoub (Carob Molasses)

1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp Ground Aniseed
   a bit of water ( if needed)

Sesame Seed  (for decoration optional)

  Preheat oven to gaz mark 5 ( 350F). Mix all ingredients together. Grease the cake tin with butter or it would be very authentic if use tahini instead to coat the baking tray before pouring the mixture. It will give a crunchy crust and deep flavour. Put the mixture into the baking tray.  Smooth the top with wet hands. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top a very thin layer and bake in medium oven gas mark 5 ( 350F) for approx 20-30 mins Cut into small squares once cooled.

 

     Another typical Lebanese dessert with Debs is Debs bi Tahineh (Tahini and Carob Molasses).  It is a mix tahini (sesame seed paste) with the molasses in a small bowl and you would use pitta bread to dip and eat. Proportion is really up to the individual taste.  Try equal proportion at first and adjust to taste. I love the idea of mixing a sweet syrup with tahini as a dessert.