‘ASSIDAT AL-BOUBAR

pumpkin halva

Emirati Arabic is somewhat different from classical Arabic—we classic speakers call pumpkin qara’, they call it boubar. The food in the Arabian Gulf is also very different from that of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. This dessert is a perfect example of the sweet-savory desserts that are typical of that part of the Middle East. The recipe was given to me by Umm Sa’id, a marvelous cook who has a huge catering kitchen in al-‘Ayn, near Abu Dhabi. I have changed it slightly, using only all-purpose flour and not a combination of all-purpose with a coarser variety not widely available outside the Middle East. You can try replacing the all-purpose flour with fine semolina, but the dessert will be less smooth. You can substitute kabocha or butternut squash for the pumpkin, but do not use the inedible pumpkins used for jack-o’-lanterns. A nice touch is to put small orchids or other flowers in the middle of the platter or on the side if you are plating the dish.

SERVES 8 TO 10

One 5¹/₂-lb [2.5-kg] pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1-in [2.5-cm] cubes

4¹/₂ cups [1.1 L] water

2¹/₃ cups [350 g] unbleached all-purpose flour

1¹/₂ cups [300 g] organic cane sugar

³/₄ tsp saffron threads, lightly crushed between your fingers, plus a pinch of whole saffron threads

1¹/₂ tsp ground cardamom

2 Tbsp rose water

¹/₄ cup [55 g] ghee, preferably Emirati ghee (see page 14), plus more for garnish

Put the pumpkin in a large saucepan. Add the water and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the pumpkin softens completely and absorbs most of the water, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the flour in a large frying pan and toast it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a nutty aroma rises and it darkens slightly, about 10 minutes. Be sure you don’t burn the flour, which will make the halva bitter.

When the pumpkin is ready, mash it in the pan over low heat using a potato masher. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add all the saffron and the ground cardamom. Add the rose water and mix well.

Gradually add the toasted flour and combine until you have a smooth mixture. Add the ghee and blend well. Place the lid over the pan and keep warm until ready to serve.

You can serve the halva the traditional way, spread in a shallow bowl and brushed with ghee, or you can make pretty quenelles and arrange these in a rosette on a plate, drizzling them with a little ghee. Serve immediately after plating.

ghee

Ghee (clarified butter) is known as samneh or samna in Arabic, and it is simply butter that has been stripped of its milk solids. It is a purer fat than butter, so it lasts longer and can be cooked at a higher temperature without burning. Many traditional confectioners use samneh but if you prefer to use butter you can, just make sure it is unsalted. You can easily make ghee yourself by heating butter in a saucepan until it starts foaming. Skim the foam, let the milk solids settle on the bottom of the pan, and then carefully pour the clarified butter into a clean jar; you can pour it through cheesecloth if you are finicky. Cover with a lid and store in a cool place or in the refrigerator to use when you need it. Kept covered in the refrigerator, ghee will last for several months. You can substitute olive oil for the butter or ghee. The result will be slightly different, but the recipes will still work. Emirati ghee is the same as any other except that a little turmeric and an Emirati spice mixture called b’zar are added to give the ghee a subtle flavor.