Elbah

{Ramadan Special} – Elbah by Fatemah of Saffron Pudding

This year I am proud to see many new bloggers who are doing fabulous job and who upon one request took my invitation to be part of this event. Fatemah of Saffron Pudding is very new to me. When I have been to her blog, I was bowled over by the recipes and her writing style. Today she is guest hosting here with a creamy and yummy Elbah, which is the name for Kuwaiti Creme Caramel Pudding. Dig in straight away….

Assalamo Alaikom everyone. If you’re reading this then Ramadan has already come so Ramadan Kareem to you. I would like to thank Lubna for giving me this opportunity. I hope you like the post and the recipe…

Fatemah says,

If you would to ask my mother to give you the recipe for this Kuwaiti (cream caramel), her answer would have probably be something like this: “put some eggs, sugar , milk and water, dried milk..add a saffron and cardamom, put it in a water bath and put it in the oven.” Now, exactly how much of each ingredient, how long in the oven and at what temperature is something you’ll have to figure out on your own ! I can’t tell you how many dishes I have ruined because of these inadequate recipe and cooking directions, especially when I first got married and moved with my husband to the U.S. It’s one of the reasons I started writing standardized middle eastern recipes on my blog so that everyone can benefit from them.

Yet there is a reason for this inadequate directions, I have discovered. Still a long way of standardization and specific measurements and exact temperatures, our mothers and grandmothers passed down recipes not by a note and a pen but with live intense practice, and close up observations. Fifty years ago, if you wanted to learn a recipe, then you  would have to go to the kitchen with the cook and get your hands dirty. Something we did not really grow up with as we were busy with homework and school projects, but it’s something I really want to instill and practice with my daughters.

Tried and Tested Elbah Recipe

To get this recipe right I had to make it two to three times to get the measurements and the timing right when I could have easily got it right the first time had I had any practice. So how this is connected to Ramadan? Maybe it is not. Maybe I just found this recipe cool to share since it is a traditional Kuwaiti version of an international dessert. But also maybe because for the past few years Ramadan have been falling right in the middle of summer, and when you have been fasting the long hot day, and you are tired and dehydrated this would be the perfect dessert to put on the Iftar table to cool you down, quest your thirst and fill you up.

Elbah (El-bah) (Kuwaiti Creme Caramel Pudding)

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup
• 1 1/2 cup dried milk
• 1/2 cup fresh milk
• 1/4 cup heavy creme
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/8 tsp saffron threads, grounded, plus more for sprinkling at the top

How to make Elbah

PREPARATION:

• Preheat oven to 200 Cellos ( 400 F) .
• Caramelize 1/2 cup of sugar by placing sugar in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat mixing occasionally until sugar starts to melt and change in color to dark brown. About 5-7 minutes.
• Spread caramelized sugar at the bottom of a large high sided oven pan (size doesn’t not matter much here).
•  Mix eggs and sugar with a hand or electrical mixer until well combined. Slowly add the remaining ingredients, fresh milk and heavy creme, dried milk, water and lastly cardamom and saffron. Mix well.
• Pour batter in the oven pan and sprinkle saffron threads at the top. Wrap with aluminum foil.
• Place the oven pan with batter in a larger oven pan. Pour hot water in the larger pan round the one with the batter to make a water bath.
• Enter into hot oven for 40-60 minutes. Elbah is done when a toothpick is inserted in the middle and it come out clean. Begin checking for doneness after 40 minutes and then every 5 minutes after that.You should take it out of the oven as soon as it is cooked and the toothpick comes out clean because once elbah is a bit overcooked it will begin to crumble and gets a weird texture.
• Once out of the oven let it cool to room temperature ( about 30-40 minutes). Transfer to refrigerator. Refrigerate overnight or at least for 6 hours before serving. Serve cold.

Thank you Fatemahal for being part of this event and introducing this creamy dessert of Kuwait…

You can Fatemahal @ Facebook|Twitter|Pinterest.
Back in,
2015 – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VIII – Green Beans Stew by Ola
2014 – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VII – Musakhan Sambousik from Nisreen
2013 – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VI – Masala Aleesa from Rafeeda