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Haft mewa
Seven dried fruit compote
هفت میوه (haft mewa): the 'seven fruits' Nowruz compote of dried fruit and nuts soaked in their own sweet syrup (plus 2 days soaking)
Haft mewa is the first thing many Afghan families offer visitors on Nowruz, the spring new year on 21 March, and in Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul it sits in a big glass bowl on every table set for the holiday. Seven kinds of dried fruit and nuts, typically green and red raisins, apricots, walnuts, almonds, pistachios and senjed (dried oleaster berries), are steeped in water for two days until the fruit swells and releases its sugar into a pale amber syrup, while the nuts soften to a fresh, milky crunch. It is ladled into small bowls with plenty of liquid and eaten with a spoon. Skipping the peeling of the almonds is the most common shortcut, and it leaves bitter, papery skins floating in the syrup. Chef's tip: use cooled boiled water for the soak and keep the bowl in the fridge, which keeps the syrup clear and sweet.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz green raisins
- 3 ½ oz red raisins
- 3 ½ oz dried apricots
- 2 ⅝ oz walnut halves
- 2 ⅝ oz whole almonds
- 1 ¾ oz shelled unsalted pistachios
- 2 cups hot waterfor peeling the nuts
- 4 ¼ cups cold boiled water
- 1 tsp rosewater (optional)
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ oz whole almonds, 1 ¾ oz shelled unsalted pistachios and 2 ⅝ oz walnut halves in a bowl, cover with 2 cups hot water and leave for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Squeeze each almond out of its skin, and rub off as much of the pistachio skins as come away easily; keep the walnuts as they are.
Step 3: Rinse 3 ½ oz green raisins, 3 ½ oz red raisins, 3 ½ oz dried apricots and 1 ¾ oz dried oleaster (senjed) or dried sour cherries in a sieve under cold water.
Step 4: Put the fruit and nuts in a large glass bowl or jar and pour over 4 ¼ cups cold boiled water, with 1 tsp rosewater if using, so everything is covered by at least 3 cm.
Step 5: Cover and refrigerate for 2 days, stirring once a day, until the raisins are plump and the water has turned into a light, sweet syrup.
Step 6: Serve chilled in small bowls with plenty of the syrup. It keeps for 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does haft mewa take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
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