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Kolompeh
Date and walnut pastries
Kolompeh (کلمپه): Kerman's stamped date and walnut pastries
Kolompeh is the pride of Kerman, a flat, round pastry stamped with a pattern on top and filled with date paste spiced with cardamom, cinnamon and a little fennel seed. Kermanis bake it for Nowruz and for guests, and it keeps well enough to travel, which is why tins of it go home with every visitor. The pastry is short and tender with a hint of sweetness. A common mistake is making the date filling too wet, which seeps through the pastry; it should be a stiff paste you can roll into a ball. Chef's tip: warm the dates for a few seconds before mashing, and they turn into a smooth paste in moments.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 12 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 oz unsalted butter or gheesoftened
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tsp ground cardamomfor the pastry
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz soft pitted dates
- 2 ⅛ oz walnutsfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cardamomfor the filling
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fennel seedscrushed
To finish
- 1 tbsp milkfor brushing
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rub the 4 oz unsalted butter or ghee into the 12 ½ oz plain flour, 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar, 1 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp ground cardamom until sandy, then add the ½ cup milk and knead briefly into a soft dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Warm the 10 ½ oz soft pitted dates for 20 seconds in the microwave and mash into a stiff paste with the 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, 1 tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp fennel seeds. Roll into 16 balls of about 25 g.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Divide the dough into 16 pieces, flatten each into a 9 cm round, put a date ball in the centre and pull the dough up around it to seal. Turn seam down and press into a 7 cm disc about 1.5 cm thick.
20 minStep 4: Press a pattern into the top with a cookie stamp or the tines of a fork. Brush with 1 tbsp milk and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sesame seeds.
5 minStep 5: Bake on a lined tray for 20–25 minutes, until golden on top and the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on a rack; they keep 2 weeks in a tin.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kolompeh take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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.
- 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 icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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