Dubai chocolate craze: The secret ingredient revealed
Dubai chocolate is taking over social media. People are actively attempting to recreate the recipe for this delicacy, and the comments sections are buzzing with questions about a mysterious ingredient inside the chocolate, which resembles angel hair pasta. This ingredient is kataifi pastry—a product not well-known in the U.S. but can be easily replaced with another option.
8:41 PM EDT, October 18, 2024
Many of you have likely seen videos showcasing the challenges of making Dubai chocolate. Recreating this recipe has become a viral trend on social media. The puzzling element seems to be an ingredient that looks like angel hair pasta. This ingredient is kataifi pastry, a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine and the base for many desserts. While it's not widely available in U.S. stores, it can be easily substituted.
What to use instead of kataifi pastry?
Kataifi pastry is not shredded phyllo dough. Although related, these products are different. Kataifi pastry (or kadayif) is made from a thin batter (a mix of flour and water) poured through spouts onto a heated metal plate. This process creates long, thin strands that quickly cook and dry, forming the characteristic "angel hair." Phyllo dough, by contrast, is stretched and rolled into paper-thin sheets and made from flour, olive oil, water, and salt. It's important to note that kataifi pastry is crunchier after baking than phyllo dough.
The recipe for Dubai chocolate filled with crunchy kataifi strings has recently gained popularity. You can substitute these with phyllo dough, but you'll need to cut it into very thin strips first. Alternatively, you can try using puff pastry. However, in this case, you must roll the dough out as thin as possible (like a sheet of paper) and then cut it into very thin strips.
Dubai chocolate with phyllo dough: Recipe
Ingredients:
- 16 oz of milk or dark chocolate
- 5 oz of phyllo dough
- 1.4 oz of butter
- 2.8 oz of pistachio cream (recipe available for homemade pistachio cream)
Preparation:
- Chop the chocolate. Melt half of it in a double boiler, ensuring it does not overheat.
- Spread the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of the prepared mold.
- Place the mold with chocolate in the refrigerator to set.
- Cut the phyllo dough into very thin strips and then carefully chop to finely shred it. Separate the strips with your hands.
- Transfer the dough to a pan and fry, stirring constantly, until it starts to change color. Then add butter and continue frying until the phyllo strips are brown and crispy.
- Transfer the crispy phyllo dough to a bowl and mix with pistachio cream.
- Place the prepared filling on top of the set chocolate.
- Melt the remaining chocolate in a double boiler and pour it over the layer of pistachio cream and phyllo dough.
- Place the Dubai chocolate in the refrigerator to set.
