How to Make Dubai Chocolate – My Version
Dubai chocolate has conquered the world! Or so it feels. Anywhere I look I see either a tablet or some dessert that has a layer of pistachio kataif filling. And I am not one to complain because pistachio is my favorite dessert flavor. I am here for it in fact, enjoying every second of it because I feel like this is a great opportunity for many to discover how amazing pistachio is, but also to see a glimpse into what a great product can be, into what amazing ingredients can do.
Speaking of great ingredients, let’s talk about the ingredients used at making Dubai chocolate. I will explain to you each and everyone one of the ingredients I used. For obvious reasons, the original recipe has not ever been published, so my version is rather inspired by it and by the many years I have been baking. In fact, in the pastry world, adding a crunchy layer to a dessert is not something uncommon. We do it often and we usually use paillete feuilletine as the crunchy addition. But I always teach my students that anything crunchy can be added. And this time is kataifi. With the touch of tahini, the final Dubai chocolate is flavorful and delicious!
Pistachio paste
Pistachio paste refers to 100% pure pistachio that has been ground into a powder and then into a paste. It can be made at home if you have a powerful food processor, but I actually prefer buying it from people who most definitely have better equipment than mine. Pistachio paste is sometimes called pistachio butter.
Pistachio praline paste
In my view, a chocolate filling has to have a certain degree of sweetness. So using only pistachio paste in the filling was not an option for me. So I made a pistachio praline which can actually be used in many other dessert apart from this Dubai chocolate. Here’s how to make it: dry out 300g pistachio in the oven at 110C for 20-30 minutes. Separately, caramelize 200g white granulated sugar until it becomes golden brown. Cool down the sugar on a tray lined with baking paper then break it into small pieces and add it into your food processor together with the pistachio. Pulse until a fine powder is obtained. Add 1g of salt and 20-30g of grape seed oil and continue processing until a smooth paste is obtained. The smoothness depends on the power of your food processor. So a weak processor may not yield great results.
White chocolate
The addition of white chocolate into my version of Dubai chocolate is optional. But I am not a huge fan of overly runny fillings. So a touch of chocolate helps against that as it slightly sets the filling. It also adds more sweetness and a milky flavor.
Tahini paste
Tahini paste is again, optional. It adds a slight bitterness to the filling and an interesting aroma. Tahini is very easy to be made at home by slightly roasting sesame seeds and processing them into a powder and then a smooth paste. Sesame seeds ae very oily so they become paste very quickly.
Salt
Salt is a great addition to anything that contains pistachio and this chocolate makes no exception. It balances so well the taste that I think it is a compulsory ingredient into any dessert anyway.
Kataifi
Kataifi is the crunch of the recipe, together with the granulated pistachio. I like to gently fry it in a bit of butter until golden brown so it becomes more flavorful and crispier. However, I’ve made this exact same recipe with paillete feuilletine instead and it turned out great!
Chocolate
Any chocolate can be used, but I recommend either milk or dark. But do make sure to use real chocolate as opposed to candy melts or compound chocolate. The latter does not have the same melting point as real chocolate so when you eat it is rather weird texture wise, it feels kinda like chalk. I am not a fan of candy melts unless it is summer and I only use it for a few cake decorations. Pralines, tablets – this is something I always make eith real chocolate that I melt and temper before using. I have seen many version of this Dubai chocolate – tempered or untempered seems to be the question. It is up to you, but I can definitely say that the original one is tempered.
Dubai Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 80 g pistachio paste
- 120 g pistachio praline
- 15 g tahini paste
- 40 g white chocolate (melted)
- 0.5 g salt
- 60 g granulated or chopped pistachio
- 90 g kataifi (broken into small pieces)
- 10-15 g butter
Instructions
- Start by melting the butter in a pan. Add the kataifi and gently fry it until golden brown and crispy.
- Mix the pistachio paste with the pistachio praline in a bowl.
- Add the tahini and melted white chocolate and mix well.
- Stir in the salt and granulated pistachio, then add the golden kataifi.
- The filling is ready to be used.
- Temper your chocolate and make the shell then fill it and cap it with more tempered chocolate.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Pan
- Food processor
- Spatulas
- Bowls
- Chopping board
- Chocolate tempering tools
- Spoons
- Chocolate tablet moulds
