Shab-e-Barat recipes that celebrate faith, food and togetherness

On Shab-e-Barat, kitchens of South Asia come alive long after dusk. It is a night shaped by quiet devotion and the sharing of sweetness. From slow-cooked halwas to carefully shaped breads, each dish carries patience and love. The following recipes draw from familiar festive traditions as well as distant culinary memories, coming together in the spirit of Shab-e-Barat’s generosity. In every bite lies a reminder that faith is often expressed not just in prayer, but in the quiet act of feeding one another.

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BREADS 

Stuffed Carrot Halwa Buns

A celebration bake that combines wintertime carrot halwa with soft, home-style bread, echoing the scent of festivities lingering in warm kitchens.

Ingredients

For the bread –

3 cups flour

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp sugar

2½ tsp yeast

1 egg

¼ cup lukewarm milk

1½ tbsp lukewarm water

1 tbsp oil

Water as required

For the filling —

500g carrots

1 cup milk

2-3 cardamom pods

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp ghee

¼ cup mawa

¼ cup nuts

Method

In a bowl, add and mix the dry ingredients — flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Then, pour in the egg and milk and add sufficient water to form a dough. When the dough has a very sticky consistency, add oil and make the dough smooth. Give it a final coating of oil and let it rest, covered in a warm place, for a couple of hours.

Now, peel and grate the carrots. Pour milk in a pan and add in the carrots and cardamom and mix. Wait for the milk to come to a boil. When it starts to boil, cover with a lid and let it cook for 20 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Then, pour in ghee.

Once fully cooked, set the flame to medium-high and add sugar. The sugar will release juices, so stir and cook until all the liquid evaporates. After that add mawa and mix. Finally, add in chopped nuts and stir, and then remove from the heat.

Once the dough is done, punch out all the air and form balls. Spread out the balls and place sufficient carrot halwa in the centre. Seal the edges to make a crescent shape and let these rest for 10 minutes. Then bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 20-25 minutes, and they will be ready to serve!

Nokshi Bread

Ornamental and celebratory, this flower-shaped bread recalls special occasions when baking was as much about beauty as it was about sharing.

Ingredients

4 cups flour

1 egg

3 tbsp sugar

½ cup lukewarm milk

1½ tsp yeast

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp oil

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup candied fruits

Water as required

A pinch of salt

Method

Add in flour, salt, sugar, and yeast to a bowl and mix. Crack one egg and then pour in warm milk and oil. Mix these together to form a dough and add warm water as needed to make the dough smooth. Once the dough is formed, place it in a bowl coated with oil and leave it covered in a warm place for 25-30 minutes.

After that, the dough should have risen. Punch the dough to eliminate all the air and form little discs from it. At the bottom of the disc, place some candied fruits, and then fold it to form a semi-circle. Then, place raisins on one side and fold again to resemble a petal. Place a raisin on top of each piece of dough.

Take a round baking dish and brush it with oil. Start placing the pieces of dough from the edge and move towards the centre to make a complete flower. Then, let this rest for 20 minutes and brush the top with milk. After that, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and let this bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 40-45 minutes. Once done, while the bread is still warm, brush with butter on top and enjoy! 

TRADITIONAL PLATTER 

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Sweet Potato Halwa (Mishti Alu Halwa)

A winter favourite steeped in nostalgia, bringing back memories of slow-cooked sweets made on quiet afternoons.

Ingredients

2 cups grated sweet potato

1 cup full cream milk powder

¼ tsp cardamom powder

¼ cup ghee

¼ cup mixed nuts, chopped

1½ cup sugar or as per taste

Method

Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add grated potatoes. Fry on low heat until it turns slightly golden in colour. Add milk, sugar, and cardamom powder and mix well. There should not be any lumps. Stir continuously until the halwa turns dry. Add mixed nuts and mix well. Cook for another 2 minutes. Garnish with nuts and rose petals and serve.

Habshi Halwa

Dark, dense and indulgent, this halwa recalls old banquet tables and the grandeur of festive feasts.

Ingredients

2 litres of fresh milk

3 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp citric acid, mix it with 1 cup of water or 1 lemon juice

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder 

½ cup flour 

½ cup crushed almonds

½ cup crushed walnuts 

1½ cups ghee

1 tsp cardamom powder

8-10 pieces of pistachios sliced

4 tbsp liquid glucose

Method 

Bring the milk to a boil. Add citric acid and water. Mix in the milk. Turn off the flame and cover it for a few minutes till the milk separates. Now cook it on high flame till the water dries up. 

While drying the water, add cocoa powder, cardamom powder and mix well. Switch off the flame; add sugar, vinegar, plain flour, and half of the ghee. 

Mix well, and on the flame set to low or medium, keep stirring. While stirring, keep adding the remaining ghee (1 tbsp at a time), till the ghee comes to the surface. 

Once the ghee comes on the surface add some nuts, mix well. Add the liquid glucose, mix well. Make sure there is no water in it. Now transfer the halwa to a ghee-greased tray, garnish it with the remaining nuts and pistachios. Leave to cool down. Cut in pieces and serve. 

NON-TRADITIONAL PLATTER 

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West African Peanut Ball

Peanuts are a very integral part of West African cuisine and along with the yams and cassava and okra that came out of this region, a lot of cuisine involves peanuts. 

Ingredients

½ cup peanut butter (you can simply blend peeled peanuts until thick and creamy)

1 cup honey, slightly warm 

1 cup powdered milk 

½ cup finely grated coconut

Method

Place peanut butter and honey in a bowl and blend well. Add 1 cup powdered milk and blend into a stiff dough, adding more powdered milk as needed. Cup the mixture into small 1-inch balls or patties. Put the coconut in a flat pan. Roll balls or patties in the coconut to coat them. Place these balls on a dish covered with wax paper then cover it with another wax paper sheet, and refrigerate. Serving

Serve as a sweet snack treat when guests come around. 

MAFROUKEH

A very traditional Lebanese dish served on a plate or in bakeries by the kilo, the name of this dish derives from the term 'to knead". This is, however, a simplified version, with ingredients meant to be slightly less on the heavy side.

Ingredients 

2 cups shredded thin filo pastry available at stores 

1 cup water 

1 cup sugar syrup (You can use brown sugar to make this - 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tsp lemon juice)

1 tbsp rosewater 

1 tbsp orange zest, or you may use lemons 

2 cups ashta (boil milk and keep scooping off the cream formed on top of it continuously)

For toppings -

½ cup almond boiled, peeled and fried to light golden. 

¼ cup pistachio nuts crushed into tiny pieces 

Apricot jam (optional)

Method

Preparing the Mafroukeh mix -

Blend the shredded filo dough well, until you get a dough of very tiny grains. 

Stir the dough in a non-stick casserole, over medium heat, until yellowing, then bump up the heat, stirring continuously. 

When the dough starts darkening, add the liquid ingredients (water, orange zest and rosewater), and ½ cup of sugar syrup. 

Keep stirring for the dough to absorb all the liquid, and mix well. When the mixture turns into a dark golden-brown colour, remove from the heat. 

Pour the mixture into the glass serving pan, and spread it well, dabbing it with the dampened palm of your hand. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. 

Pour the Ashta cream all over the Mafroukeh mixture. With a spoon, spread it well all over, then press gently for an even level. Wet the spoon with fresh cold water and smooth a little the surface. 

Garnish and cool —

Sprinkle the pistachios all over the Ashta layer, then follow it with a rich layer of almonds. Place the serving plate in the fridge until cool. 

Pour the remaining ½ cup of syrup into a serving bowl. Cut the Mafroukeh into 15 equal pieces. 

If you have opted for the jam, use a tsp to place a small dose on each piece. 

Umm Ali

Literally meaning the mother of Ali, this dish can transport you back to era of harem pants, a sprinkling of amber essence and the streets of Baghdad from the Thousand and One Nights! However, here yet again is my version of this decadent dish. It also uses puff pastry but I gave it a deshi twist!

Ingredients

250 puff pastry 

1 bowl cooked milk vermicelli (doodh shemayi)

½ stick cinnamon

7-8 cardamom pods

¼ cup slices almonds

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup pistachio

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup shredded coconut

¼ cup pure ghee (deshi ghee)

Method

Prepare the milk vermicelli first. In a wok, warm the ghee, then add the vermicelli strands and fry for about 2-3 minutes (go for the brand that sells brown coloured vermicelli). At this point, it has browned even more, so add 5 cups of milk, cardamom and cinnamon and stir it. Let it thicken and add 1 cup of brown sugar towards the end. Once it is thick enough (it should have the consistency of thick cream), take it off the fire.

In a baking dish, grease the base with a bit of butter then lay 4-5 filo pastries and stick it in the oven for 2 minutes. They will have puffed up a bit, then take it out and let it cool for a bit, then sprinkle half the nuts on it and add half the vermicelli. Place a few more filo sheets and add a final layer of vermicelli, then sprinkle nuts on top. Stick it into the oven for another 2-3 minutes, then take it out. 

Serving

Cut it up into small pieces and if the vermicelli oozes out then let it.