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Aseedat bobar
Pumpkin pudding with ghee
Aseedat bobar (عصيدة بوبر): Qatari and Kuwaiti pumpkin pudding with ghee
In Doha and Kuwait City, aseedat bobar arrives on winter evenings and at Ramadan iftar in a shallow dish, smooth and orange, with a little pool of melted ghee in the centre. Bobar is the Gulf word for red pumpkin, cooked down and thickened with toasted flour, sugar and cardamom into a soft, spoonable sweet that tastes a bit like a spiced pumpkin pie filling. Scoop it warm with a spoon or with pieces of bread, alongside Arabic coffee. Stopping the stirring too soon is the usual mistake: the pudding must cook until it pulls away from the sides, or it tastes of raw flour. Chef's tip: toast the flour in a dry pan until it smells like biscuits before it goes in; that nutty note is what makes it.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb red pumpkin or butternut squashpeeled weight, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 1 cup water
- 4 oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch saffron threadssoaked in 1 tbsp hot water
- 1 tbsp rosewater (optional)
- 4 tbsp ghee
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb red pumpkin or butternut squash and 1 cup water in a pan, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft enough to crush with a spoon.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile toast 4 oz plain flour in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat, stirring all the time, for 6–8 minutes, until it turns the colour of pale sand and smells nutty.
8 minStep 3: Mash the pumpkin in its water until smooth, or blitz with a stick blender. Stir in 3 ½ oz sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 pinch saffron threads with its water.
Step 4: Over a low heat, sprinkle in the toasted flour a little at a time, whisking hard so no lumps form.
Step 5: Switch to a wooden spoon and cook, stirring constantly, for 10–12 minutes, until the mixture is thick, glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan in one soft mass.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aseedat bobar take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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