Umm Ali Recipe (Pastry Milk Pudding with Nuts)
Make umm ali: baked puff pastry torn into a dish with nuts and raisins, covered in hot sweet milk and cream, then grilled golden. Quick Ramadan dessert.
Mithai from Pakistan, kunafa and baklava from the Middle East, saffron puddings from Iran and chhena sweets from Bengal. Every dessert here is tested in a home kitchen, with the exact syrup stage, milk reduction or bake to look for, and a fix for the usual failures.
Recipes developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan
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Eid and wedding sweetsKheer, firni and kulfiSyrup, pastry and datesSaffron, rose and chhenaFrom the oven
Pakistani mithai
Eid and wedding sweets
- 9Sheer KhurmaEid vermicelli in milk
- 9Gajar ka HalwaWinter carrot halwa
Gulab JamunSoft gulab jamun- JalebiCrisp homemade jalebi
- 9Sohan HalwaMultan's chewy halwa
- 9Doodh BarfiSoft milk barfi
- 9Chum ChumCoconut chhena rolls
- 9Habshi HalwaDark winter halwa
Milk puddings and frozen
Kheer, firni and kulfi
- 9Ras MalaiRas malai in saffron milk
- 9FirniGround rice firni
- 9KulfiPistachio kulfi
- 9FaloodaRose milk falooda
- 9KheerCreamy rice kheer
- 9RabriLayered rabri
Middle Eastern and Turkish
Syrup, pastry and dates
- 9LuqaimatDate syrup dumplings
- 9BasbousaSemolina syrup cake
- 9Umm AliWarm pastry milk pudding
- KunafaCrisp cheese kunafa
- 9BaklavaPistachio baklava
- 9QatayefRamadan stuffed pancakes
- 9LokumRosewater Turkish delight
- 9KaakDate-filled cookies
- SekerpareSemolina syrup cookies
From Iran, Afghanistan and Bengal
Saffron, rose and chhena
- 9Bastani SonnatiSaffron rose ice cream
- 9Faloodeh ShiraziFrozen rose noodles
- 9QottabAlmond pastries
- 9FirniAfghan milk pudding
- 9SandeshSoft chhena sandesh
- 9PatishaptaCoconut jaggery crepes
Cakes and bakes
From the oven
- Chocolate Spice CakeMoist chocolate spice cake
- 9French MacaronsFrench macarons
- 9Shahi TukrayFried bread in rabri
- 9Lab-e-ShireenCustard fruit trifle
Learn the technique
Guides behind these recipes
Quick answers
Dessert Recipes FAQ
What desserts are made for Eid in Pakistan?
Sheer khurma, meethi seviyan, lab-e-shireen, firni and kheer.
What is the most popular Middle Eastern dessert?
Kunafa and baklava, especially during Ramadan.
What is one-string syrup?
Sugar syrup boiled until a drop pulled between finger and thumb forms a single thread.
How do I stop milk desserts burning?
Use a heavy pan, keep the heat low and scrape the bottom often.
Which dessert is easiest for beginners?
Sooji halwa, meethi seviyan or firni.
Every recipe
All dessert recipes
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Basbousa Recipe (Semolina Coconut Cake in Syrup)
Make basbousa: a soft semolina and coconut cake with yoghurt, baked golden and soaked in lemon syrup. The Ramadan favourite across the Gulf, moist, never dry.
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Luqaimat Recipe (Emirati Saffron Dumplings with Date Syrup)
Make luqaimat for Ramadan: light yeasted saffron and cardamom dough balls fried crisp, then drizzled with date syrup and sesame. Crunchy outside, airy inside.
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Anday ka Halwa Recipe (Egg Halwa)
Make anday ka halwa: eggs, milk, sugar and ghee cooked slowly until grainy, golden and fragrant with cardamom and nuts. A rich Pakistani winter treat.
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Pinni Recipe (Punjabi Winter Atta Pinni)
Make Punjabi pinni: whole wheat flour roasted slowly in desi ghee with khoya, sugar, gond and nuts, shaped into rich winter balls. Never raw or crumbly.
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Chum Chum Recipe (Coconut Chhena Rolls)
Make chum chum: soft chhena rolls cooked in syrup, filled with sweet khoya cream and rolled in coconut. Tips so they stay spongy, never hard or cracked.
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Doodh Barfi Recipe (Milk Barfi with Khoya)
Make doodh barfi: khoya or milk powder cooked with sugar and ghee into a soft fudge, set and cut into squares with pistachios. Never grainy or hard.
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Habshi Halwa Recipe (Dark Wheat and Milk Halwa)
Make habshi halwa: milk, sprouted wheat flour, sugar and ghee cooked for hours into a dark, chewy, nutty halwa. The famous winter sweet, step by step at home.
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Rabri Recipe (Thick Layered Milk Dessert)
Make rabri like a halwai: full fat milk slowly reduced in a wide pan, the cream layers lifted and folded back, flavoured with saffron, cardamom and nuts.
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Lab-e-Shireen Recipe (Pakistani Custard Fruit Trifle)
Make lab-e-shireen: vanilla custard layered with vermicelli, fruit, jelly cubes, cream and nuts. The colourful Pakistani Eid dessert, smooth and never runny.
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