How to make Date Paste for Arabic Sweets & Desserts | Healthy Nutella Recipe | Cooking Basics

Dates are widely found in the Middle eastern region and forms an integral part of their cuisine. Dates also play an important role religiously and culturally in Islam and Arab influenced cultural cooking. The country Iraq itself has more than 100 varieties of dates. Date paste is commonly used in every other Middle eastern and Arabic sweets and desserts.

Ingredients:

• Dates (without seeds) – 1 cup/15 nos.

• Water – 1 glass

• Cardamom powder (optional) – 1 tsp

Method:

• Roughly chop the dates. (Tip – Since dates are sticky, add oil on the dates before cutting and refrigerate it for 10 mins to make it easier to chop.)

• Heat water in a pan and keep a strainer with pores on it. Add the roughly chopped dates in the strainer and place a lid over it.

• Keep it for 5 minutes for the dates to become soft.

• Add the soft dates to a blender jar with the cardamom. Blend it in a mixer grinder with little (3 tbsp) if necessary and grind to smooth thick paste.

• The dates paste is ready.

Tips & Suggestions:

• This paste can be stored in the refrigerator for a week and it turns hard when refrigerated.

• Date paste is also a great natural substitute of chocolate Nutella spread.

• Being a rich source of iron and glucose, date paste can also be eaten for instant source of energy.