Rose petals and yoghurt: A recipe

It has been a most satisfying week, relaxing, warm, full of reading, sleeping, thinking, writing. I am afraid that the kitchen has been neglected somewhat, thanks to some major dental surgery that has left my mouth sore and definitely unable to eat anything that is not mushy. Porridge is excellent. Soup good. Congee fabulous. Mashes of any type, oh yeah. Smoothies. And yoghurt.

Summer fruits have hit the markets, and these are pretty good if I cut them into small cubes. Yet they have a sourness about them that you don’t normally notice. I don’t mean that they are not yet ripe, they are delicious. But when your mouth has been doctored and stitched back together, the sour note is much more noticeable. I still eat them, they are gorgeous, I am just saying.

In a lovely fit of wanting something mushy but fit for a queen, I made a wonderful rose petal and fruit thick thick yoghurt for dessert. Or is it a main course if there was no fore-course? Whatever. It was, indeed, fit for a queen.

Notes

Thick thick yoghurt is something I often talk about. It is yoghurt that has some or a lot of whey drained from it. It can even be pressed for more “sculptural” yoghurt.

To make thick thick yoghurt, the details are here. If you would like to see how very sculptural thick thick yoghurt can get, have a look at last week’s post here.

If you are not keen to drain your own yoghurt there are a couple of alternatives. Buy a thick Greek yoghurt – it is not the same but it will be fine. Also if you are lucky enough to have an Indian grocer near you, they may have some real Indian yoghurt. I use Desi brand. It is rich and creamy and will be wonderful to use.

You can get rose petals from a number of places. If you grow roses and they have no pesticides on them, you can use fragrant red rose petals, cut into small pieces. Use a scissors. Asian/Chinese shops have small rose buds that you can make tea from, looking like this:

But the method I use is to purchase dried, crumbled rose petals from a Middle Eastern/ Persian shop. They use them specifically for flavouring yoghurt and milk.

Failing all of that, use a little rosewater.

Thick Thick Yoghurt with Rose Petals and Fruit

Source : inspired by conversations with people about rose petals
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Prep time: 10 mins if thick thick yoghurt is on hand
Cooking time: 0 mins
Serves: 4 people, depending how you use it

ingredients
Thick thick yoghurt (see above)
Rose petals (see above)
Fruit -  I used passionfruit, peach and nectarine.
1 – 2 tspn castor sugar (optional)
non-salted pistachios, for serving

method
Chop the fruit into small cubes.

Mix the sugar through the yoghurt, ensuring it dissolves into the yoghurt. The amount will depend on the sourness of the yoghurt, but you don’t want it to be too sweet.

Mix the rose petals with the yoghurt and then mix the fruit through. Set aside in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow the rose perfume and flavour to infuse the yoghurt.

Serve in the most beautiful bowl that you have. Top with some crumbled pistachio nuts. Eat it as though it is a precious thing. It is.

Feel thankful that we live in such a wonderful world. Enjoy!

Ways with Yoghurt:

• How to make thick thick yoghurt/yoghurt cheese.
• I finally made a Blueberry Shrikhand. It is hard to beat.
• Use thick thick yoghurt with all sorts of fruits and other toppings.
• A huge dollop of thick thick yoghurt on top of winter soups, like this spicy red lentil soup.
• Yoghurt Curry
• Thick Yoghurt Tahina Dip with Herbs
• Yoghurt and Rosepetals
• Cacik: Turkish cucumber and Yoghurt Mezze
• Haydari
• Tender Eggplant with yoghurt
• Yoghurt, Feta and Mustard Dip

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