Sandesh Recipe (Bengali Chhena Sweet)
Make sandesh at home: fresh chhena kneaded smooth and cooked briefly with sugar and cardamom, shaped into soft sweets. Tips so it is never grainy or dry.
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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Patishapta Recipe (Bengali Coconut Jaggery Crepes)
Make patishapta: thin rice and semolina crepes rolled around a coconut and jaggery filling. The Bengali winter sweet for Poush Sankranti, soft and never torn.
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Sekerpare Recipe (Turkish Semolina Syrup Cookies)
Make sekerpare: soft Turkish semolina cookies topped with an almond, baked golden and soaked in lemon syrup. Melt-in-the-mouth and never hard or soggy.
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Lokum Recipe (Turkish Delight with Rosewater)
Make Turkish delight at home: sugar syrup and cornflour cooked slowly into a soft, chewy rosewater lokum, set and dusted. Tips for the right set, not sticky.
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Baklava Recipe (Turkish Pistachio Baklava)
Make Turkish pistachio baklava: thin filo layered with butter and pistachios, baked crisp and soaked in cool syrup. Tips so it stays crisp, never soggy.
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Goosh-e Fil Recipe (Persian Elephant Ear Pastries)
Make goosh-e fil: thin Persian fried pastries shaped like elephant ears, dusted with powdered sugar and pistachio. Light, crisp and shattering, never greasy.
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Qottab Recipe (Persian Almond Filled Pastries)
Make qottab, the Yazd pastry: tender dough filled with ground almonds, sugar and cardamom, fried golden and rolled in powdered sugar. Tips so they never burst.
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Pashmak Recipe (Persian Cotton Candy Floss)
Make pashmak: Persian fine sugar floss pulled with toasted flour and butter into silky threads. Step by step method with the sugar stage and pulling tips.
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Faloodeh Shirazi Recipe (Persian Frozen Rose Noodle Dessert)
Make faloodeh shirazi: thin rice noodles frozen in rosewater syrup to icy slush, served with lime and sour cherry. A Persian summer dessert from Shiraz.
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Bastani Sonnati Recipe (Persian Saffron Rosewater Ice Cream)
Make bastani sonnati at home: no-churn saffron and rosewater ice cream with pistachios and frozen cream chips. Rich, golden and never icy, no machine needed.
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