And what is the most important part of the Dubai Chocolate Bar? Well, it's the utterly unctuous Pistachio Kadayif Cream, of course, as shown in the photo above. This gorgeously green creamy filling combines the buttery, nutty, slightly sweet lusciousness of ground pistachio nuts in a delightful contrast with the crisp crunch of the fine kadayik dough strands. This nutty and creamy filling is the heavenly contrast to chocolate that makes the Dubai Chocolate so irresistible!
Nom, nom, nom, and just like that we were hooked! But, woozer, the 'Dubai Chocolate' anythings sure are expensive! So we found out, with a bit of research, that you can make Pistachio Kadayif Cream at home with just a wee bit of time and effort. (And with that creamy filling we went on to make a Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Cake, omgoshdarnitall, to die for, post coming soon!)
Oh. Pistachios. What can I say? I love, love, love pistachios. They are soooo good. My favorite nut! Our favorite nut! The best nut of them all!
Buy the freshest roasted pistachio you can. I find that the greener the pistachio nut is, the fresher it is. Also the pistachio shells should all be split slightly open. So look for vivid green peeking out of split shells.
Peel the shells off and toss the nuts into your food processor.
Turn on the processor and start grinding the nuts. It will take a few minutes before the oil releases and the powder becomes a paste. You will need to stop and push down the clumps of pistachio every once in a while. Watch out that your food processor doesn't overheat, tho, if it gets hot then give it a rest before continuing.
Look at the result! What a gorgeous green unctuous pistachio paste, amiright? The original recipe calls for the addition of tahini, but I opted to not add it, preferring not to dilute the color and the taste. Pistachios forever!
Pssst...if your pistachios aren't green enough for your desire, add a few drops of food coloring to green it up!
Once done with the pistachio paste we move on to the other key component of the Pistachio Kadayif Cream which is the kadayif noodles. And what are kadayif noodles, you ask? It is a type of very thin shredded filo strand used for many Middle Eastern pastries. And, as you've probably guessed already, it can also cost a pretty penny even if you can find it in a place like Hong Kong.
So we made our own! It was time consuming but not hard. With a bit of effort we soon had oodles and oodles of thin as heck kadayif noodles.
And the final result was just what we wished for, crispy and crunchy noodle-y bits that stayed crispy even when mixed with the pistachio paste! If you're outta of time you can buy it online here or you can check out our post on Homemade Kadayif Noodles, coming next post so stay tuned.
Once you have your homemade or store bought kadayif noodles it's time to crisp them up to the max! Throw the noodles into your wok or pan with some butter and start stirring. You'll soon see the noodles begin to turn golden.
Once the noodles crisp up enough you can start to break them up into shorter lengths. Do turn the heat down if you find the noodles crisping up too fast, you don't want them to burn!
Keep stirring until your kadayif noodles are a crispy golden brown all over. Looks so perfect! And, amazingly, these noodles will stay crispy even after they are mixed with the pistachio paste.
The final step is to mix your homemade pistachio paste with your crisped up kadayif noodles. Nom, nom, nom, so good! Pistachio Kadayif Cream combines the gorgeousness of the nutty, creamy sweet taste of pistachio nuts with the crisp crunch of the kadayif noodle, making the most perfect pistachio filling ever.
With this perfectly pistachio filling you can easily create all kinds of spins off of the Dubai Chocolate craze, from actual chocolates to chocolate cakes, chocolate muffins, chocolate cookies and more, all of 'em chocolatey confections filled with a most delectable layer of crunchy pistachio kadayif cream! Enjoy the decadence!
Pssst...we made a Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Cake with our pistachio kadayif filling! Stay tuned for our post!
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| Our Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Cake!! |
Pistachio Kadayif Cream Recipe
(makes 1 1/2 cups) Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
Pistachio Paste
Kadayif Noodles
- 4 cups unshelled pistachio nuts, or 2 cups shelled
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp rose water
- few drops green food coloring (optional)
Kadayif Noodles
- 4 oz kadayif noodles, 113g, about 1 cup after crushing
- 1 tbsp butter
Directions:
Make the pistachio paste: De-shell the pistachio nuts. Add nuts, oil, sugar, salt and rose water to food processor. Process a minute at a time, using a spatula to push down the pistachio to the bottom each time. The nuts will first become powder and then, slowly, will release their oils and form a paste. If the paste is too thick add a little bit more oil until it achieves a lava like texture. Adjust salt and sugar to your preference. Add green food coloring if desired.
Crisp up the kadayif: Heat a pan over medium heat. Add butter, then add the kadayif noodles. Let cook, flipping occasionally, until the noodles start to get hard and crispy. At this point use the spatula to break the noodles into short pieces. Continue stirring and flipping until all the noodles pieces are golden and crisp. Remove from heat and let cool down to room temperature.
Make the pistachio kadayif cream: Mix the pistachio paste and the crisped up kadayif noodles. Your pistachio kadayif cream is finished and ready to be used in whatever 'Dubai Chocolate' inspired confection you wish to add it to.
Storage: If not using right away pack the cream filling into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Delectable Desserts at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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