From the University Agenda

Special recipe for Ramadan from the chefs: Custard with betel nut and rose pudding with chocolate

Stating that milk desserts are an ideal option for those who are looking for light alternatives instead of syrupy and heavy desserts during Ramadan, Chef Semanur Önal shared the recipe of custard with betel nut for those who do not want to use sugar in desserts. Chef Didar Başgöze, on the other hand, talked about the making of the rose pudding with chocolate prepared in the style of cold baklava, which has recently become popular on social media.

"Milk desserts are much more lighter for us in Ramadan." Istanbul Gelisim University Pastry and Bakery Program President Semanur Önal said, "In addition, recipes with tahini is an alternative and healthy. A light dessert such as halva with ice cream can also be preferred while fasting. People who do not want to consume sugar can alternatively make special custard with betel nut for iftar meals."

Custard with betel nut recipe

Chef Önal explained the making 6-person custard with betel nut recipe as follows:
“Keep 35 jumbo size betel nuts whose seeds are removed in hot water for 20 minutes. Take 1 liter of milk into our pot. Then add 1 tablespoon of starch and whisk it in. Sieve betel nuts and add them to the milk. In this way, we soften our betel nuts a little more over low heat. Then, take the pot from the stove and whisk the betel nuts with a mixer. We take our pot back to the stove. We cook our custard until it is boiled. When the custard is cooked, we add ground walnuts and cinnamon. It is important to add the cinnamon after cooking, otherwise it may leave a bitter taste. Then, serve your custard  with bowls, you can dress it as you wish."
 


"Place the shiny sheets on the rose pudding on the top side"

Istanbul Gelisim University Gastronomy Department Culinary Chef Didar Başgöze explained the production of rose pudding:, "Rose pudding is a dessert that comes out of the Ottoman cuisine and settles in the public cuisine. When making it, we first heat it by mixing 1 liter of 250 milliliters of milk, 1 and a half cups of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cocoa. When the mixture reaches 45 degrees, we take it from the stove and add chocolate chips on it. After the chocolates melt, we pour this mixture warmly over the rose pudding sheets. Milk should be neither too hot nor too cold, because hot milk can pulpify the sheets. Then we place a few rose pudding sheets and sprinkle walnut crumbs and pistachios between them. Then add rose pudding sheets that you wet with milk again. By doing this process in several layers, we finally leave the dessert in the fridge for an hour to rest. When placing the rose pudding sheets, make sure that the shiny part is on top. This allows them to absorbe the milk better.”