Sohan Halwa Recipe (Multani Brittle Halwa)
Make Multan’s sohan halwa: wheat sprouts or flour, milk, sugar and ghee cooked until caramelised and set with nuts into a chewy brittle. Step by step.
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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Firni Recipe (Pakistani Ground Rice Pudding)
Make Pakistani firni: ground rice cooked in milk with cardamom and kewra until silky, set in clay pots and topped with pistachios. Smooth, never lumpy.
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Meethi Seviyan Recipe (Dry Sweet Vermicelli)
Make meethi seviyan: thin vermicelli roasted in ghee and steamed dry with sugar, cardamom, nuts and coconut. The quick Eid sweet, separate strands, not sticky.
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Shahi Tukray Recipe (Royal Bread Pudding with Rabri)
Make shahi tukray: bread fried golden in ghee, dipped in cardamom syrup and topped with thick saffron rabri and nuts. The Mughal Eid dessert, crisp and rich.
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Falooda Recipe (Pakistani Rose Milk with Kulfi)
Make Pakistani falooda: chilled rose milk layered with falooda noodles, basil seeds, jelly and a scoop of kulfi or ice cream. The summer dessert drink.
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Kulfi Recipe (Pakistani Pistachio Malai Kulfi)
Make kulfi at home: milk slowly reduced with cardamom, saffron and pistachios, frozen in moulds. Dense and creamy like street kulfi, with no ice crystals.
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Ras Malai Recipe (Soft Chhena Discs in Saffron Milk)
Make ras malai at home: soft chhena discs cooked in light syrup, then soaked in thick saffron cardamom milk. Tips so they stay spongy, never hard or broken.
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Sheer Khurma Recipe (Eid Vermicelli Milk Pudding)
Make sheer khurma for Eid: fine vermicelli roasted in ghee and simmered in reduced milk with dates, nuts and cardamom. Creamy, pourable, never gluey.
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Gajar ka Halwa Recipe (Pakistani Carrot Halwa)
Make gajar ka halwa: grated red carrots slow cooked in milk until thick, then bhuna in desi ghee with sugar, khoya and nuts. Rich, glossy and never watery.
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Firni Recipe (Afghan Milk Pudding with Cardamom and Rosewater)
Make Afghan firni: a silky milk pudding thickened with cornflour, scented with cardamom and rosewater and topped with pistachios. Smooth, never lumpy.
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