Dried Fruit and nuts salad (Khoshaf)

December 8, 2009  •  Category:

 

Living in Lebanon  people are used to eating fresh fruits that are locally grown and whenever they are in season. In the winter season, people eat a lot of dried fruits and this salad is a reflection of this. Made of dried fruits that are poached or marinated overnight  in syrup with a few nuts it is a delicious and very nourishing dessert. It is prepared for the purpose of offering to guests that show up at one’s door unexpectedly, a custom that is disappearing in the cities but still common in the villages. It is also offered during the month of Ramadan.


I consulted May S. Bsisu’s book The Arab Table for this recipe and adapted it a bit.

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will yield 6 to 8 servings

  • 1 cup of dried apricots
  • 1 cup of dried prunes
  • 1 cup of dried figs (optional)
  • 1/2 cup of raisins
  • 1/2 cup each of pine nuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios.
  • 1 tablespoon of rose water
  • 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of water

METHOD:

  1. Soak the dried nuts (pistachios, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts) in separate bowls for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
  2. Make a syrup by placing the sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring and boiling for about 3 minutes.  Add the rose and orange blossom water, stir and set aside.
  3. Rinse the dried fruits under the running faucet, add to the syrup. Marinate the fruits for a few hours or overnight.
  4. Remove the nuts from their respective bowls, peel the nuts, including the walnuts and almonds. An easy way to peel the nuts is by rubbing them with your fingertips against each other.
  5. Place the peeled nuts in the serving bowl along with the dried fruits and syrup. Serve either in small bowls individually or in a large bowl.

NOTE: It is also customary to add some apricot nectar (from a can or by soaking sheets of apricot leather or amardeen in water overnight, then pureeing in a blender). Peeling the nuts  is highly recommended, especially the almonds.


Comments

16 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Angie@Angie's Recipe says:

    I always like to eat dried fruit, but mainly the salted one….these sweet ones are good for the afternoon tea too!

  2. Ivy says:

    Joumana, these dried fruits sound delicious. In Cyprus we add some grilled halloumi in marinated dried fruit and it’s perfect.

  3. SE says:

    this looks so tempting.and healthy too..and is a good idea to serve to guests..love the dry fruits..

  4. Doria says:

    Cette salade de fruits est bien belle avec de très belles saveurs bien parfumées !
    Bisous, Doria

  5. rebecca says:

    the best dates in the world come from this region right, great salad

  6. shayma says:

    joumana i love this- in pakistan we poach apricots and have them w clotted cream. i like the addition of nuts. and orange blossom water? i lurrv it. (in the words of woody allen). x

  7. Peter says:

    The origins of this dish has to be olden…when fruits had to be dried for the winter months…I want some!

  8. Dolly Massi says:

    I do the same salad but I marinate it with Rose and pomegranate syrup with a pinch of cardamom and cinnamon…Yummy

  9. Leticia Avierkiieva says:

    Dear Sir or Madam,
    My name is Leticia Avierkiieva and I am a contributor at http://www.mycitycuisine.org, a wiki project. I am currently working on an article about Khoshaf for the project, and am in need of a photo for the article.
    I wanted to inquire in regards to your photo:
    https://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2009/12/dried-fruit-salad-khoshaf/
    The photo would be perfect for the article. Would you be willing to give mycitycuisine.org permission to use your photo for the project?
    If you agree to let mycitycuisine.org to use the photo, please specify the terms of permission in your reply so I can upload this photo with the correct license terms.
    1.) I certify that I am the owner of this photo. I grant mycitycuisine.org and its owner to use this photo for any purpose with attribution to me as the photo owner.

    OR
    2.) I certify that I am the owner of this photo. I release all rights of this photo and place this photo in the public domain.
    I thank you in advance and look forward to hearing from you.
    Best regards,
    Leticia Avierkiieva (gourmand86@yahoo.com)
    PS: mycitycuisine.org is a wiki project so you are encouraged to contribute to it by sharing your knowledge of your local cuisine. Thank you.

  10. Brian says:

    This is also good for snacks.

  11. Marina says:

    Its looks so delicious and tasty. I will recommend this to my friends to try this recipe. Thank you for the amazing recipe. Great Job.

  12. Marina says:

    It looks so tempting. My kids would really love this. I cannot wait to try this at home. Most of the time some of the ingredients that i bought is from online store. I recommend this online store that has the best dried fruits and nuts. If you have time you can stop by on this link.
    Check this out:
    https://gourmetnutsanddriedfruit.com/

  13. ghaer says:

    nice post. very important and informative discussion.Thanks for sharing a nice site.
    vapedubai

  14. Muhammad Wasim says:

    Joumana, these dried fruits recipe seems delicious. In Pakistan, we marinate it with Vinger and pomegranate syrup and add some grilled mushrooms for that taste but It seems more awesome.

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