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Noghl
Sugar-coated almond slivers
Noghl (نقل): Urmia sugar-coated almond slivers for weddings and Nowruz
Noghl, the craggy white sugar-coated slivers of almond, is the confection of celebration in Iran, and the town of Urmia in West Azerbaijan is its home. It is showered over newlyweds at weddings, offered to guests at Nowruz and set beside tea on special days. Professionals build the spiky coat in a rotating copper pan over many hours; this home version does the same job in a wide pan, adding the rosewater syrup a little at a time. The usual mistake is adding too much syrup at once, which glues the almonds into a lump instead of building the knobbly crust. Chef's tip: keep the almonds moving constantly and wait until each coat is completely dry before the next.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 7 oz slivered almonds
- 14 oz sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tbsp rosewater
- ¼ tsp ground saffron, steeped in 1 tbsp hot water (optional)
- 1 cardamom pod, cracked (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toast the 7 oz slivered almonds in a wide heavy frying pan over a low heat for 5 minutes until dry and just fragrant, not brown. Tip into a bowl.
5 minStep 2: Heat the 14 oz sugar, ¾ cup water and 1 cardamom pod, cracked in a pan until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 3 minutes to a thin syrup. Remove the cardamom and stir in the 2 tbsp rosewater. For yellow noghl, add the ¼ tsp ground saffron, steeped in 1 tbsp hot water.
6 minStep 3: Return the almonds to the wide pan over a very low heat. Drizzle in 1 tbsp of syrup and stir and shake constantly for 2–3 minutes until the almonds look dry and white.
5 minStep 4: Repeat, a tablespoon at a time, keeping the almonds moving and waiting for each coat to dry before the next. Separate any that stick. After 20–30 coats the sugar starts forming little bumps and spikes.
80 minStep 5: Continue until the syrup is used and the slivers are thickly coated and craggy. Spread on a tray and leave uncovered for 12 hours to dry hard. Store in an airtight jar for months.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does noghl take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 105 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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