Rahash
Rahash (رهش): Kuwaiti and Bahraini tahini and sugar slab sweet
In the souks of Kuwait City and Manama, slabs of rahash appear on the sweet stalls as Ramadan approaches, cut into squares to nibble with tea after iftar or handed round at Eid. It is close to halva: tahini beaten with hot sugar syrup until it sets into a firm, crumbly, fudgy block that melts on the tongue, with a gentle cardamom perfume and pistachios on top. The trick is the syrup temperature. Undercooked syrup leaves a soft, oily paste that never sets; cook it to the soft-ball stage. Stir the tahini well in its jar first, as the oil separates. Chef's tip: stop stirring as soon as the mixture loses its gloss and starts to pull away from the bowl; keep going and it turns sandy.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz tahiniwell stirred
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 9 oz sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 oz pistachios (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper. Put 10 ½ oz tahini and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a heatproof bowl and warm the bowl briefly over hot water so the tahini is runny.
Step 2: Heat 9 oz sugar, ¼ cup water and 1 tsp lemon juice in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Then boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 115–250°F on a thermometer, or a drop in cold water forms a soft ball, about 8–10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Pour the hot syrup into the tahini in a thin stream, stirring hard with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens, turns matt and pulls away from the bowl, 1–2 minutes.
2 minStep 4: Quickly scrape it into the tin, press it flat and scatter with 1 oz pistachios, pressing them in.
Step 5: Leave to set at room temperature for at least 2 hours, then cut into squares. Keep in an airtight box for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rahash take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 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 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.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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