Orange Blossom Water

Hboub is a famous dessert in Syria made of wheat berries. There are two versions of Hboub, the one prepared in Hama and Damascus which differs than Hboub prepared in Aleppo. The recipe here is for Hboub of Hama and Damascus, made of peeled wheat berries cooked with rice, dried chickpeas, dried fava beans, dried white beans, almond halves, sugar, ground anise seeds, and ground fennel seeds. Then garnished with ground anise seeds, ground fennel seeds, desiccated coconut, almond flakes, slivered pistachios and sugar coated fennel seeds.

Hboub is usually prepared in the celebration of Mawlid “Birth of the Prophet Mohammed”.

Let’s make Hboub:

1, 2, 3. Measure 30 g dried chickpeas and put in a small pot.

4. Rinse chickpeas in several changes with water.

5, 6. Pour 200 ml water to cover chickpeas.

7. Add less that 1/8 teaspoon Qelo to chickpeas.

Qelo قلو: is a white powder. In Syria, it is added to to tenderize chickpeas during cooking. You can substitute with baking soda (each one teaspoon of Qelo equal to two teaspoons of baking soda), but Qelo is much way better and will not leave a bitter taste.

8. Let chickpeas to soak for 12 hours at room temperature.

9, 10. Measure 50 g peeled wheat berries and put in a bowl.

11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Rinse peeled wheat berries in several changes with water, put in a strainer to help you.

16. Put rinsed wheat berries in a bowl.

17, 18, 19. Pour 200 ml water to coover wheat berries.

20. Let the wheat berries to soak for 12 hours.

21, 22, 23. Put aluminum pan over medium heat, and add 10 g anise seeds.

24. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute.

25, 26, 27, 28. Put roasted anise seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside.

29, 30, 31. To same pan and over medium heat, add 10 g fennel seeds.

32. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute.

33, 34, 35, 36. Put roasted fennel seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside.

After 12 hours

37. After 12 hours, chickpeas will expand to over double their size.

38, 39. Drain water from chickpeas.

40. Pour 200 ml water to cover chickpeas.

41, 42, 43, 44. Turn on heat and keep on high heat until boiling.

45, 46. Once boiling vigorously, reduce heat and keep on low heat. Cook chickpeas until slightly tender, do not overcook.

47, 48. Drain water from chickpeas.

49, 50. Peel the chickpeas.

51, 52. Halve the chickpeas, and set aside.

53, 54. Put 30 g Egyptian short grain rice in a bowl.

55, 56. Pour 200 ml boiling water to cover rice.

57. Stir and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.

58. After 15 minutes, drain water from rice.

59. Wash and rinse rice in three changes of water.

60. Drain water from rice and set aside.

61. Drain water from peeled wheat berries.

62, 63, 64. Rinse peeled wheat berries in several changes with water.

65, 66, 67. Put peeled wheat berries in a deep pot.

68. Pour 900 ml water to cover peeled wheat berries.

69, 70, 71, 72. Turn on heat, and keep over high heat with continuous stirring using a wooden spoon until it starts to boil.

73 to 80. Reduce heat and cook over medium heat with continuous stirring until wheat berries are tender and cooked, it took 30 minutes.

81, 82, 83, 84. Once wheat berries are cooked, add Egyptian rice to it and stir. Put over high heat until it starts to boil, then reduce heat and keep over medium heat.

85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90. Few minutes after adding the rice, add chickpea halve and stir.

91, 92, 93, 94. Add 50 g sugar to the mixture and stir.

95, 96, 97, 98. Add 5 g ground anise (the anise that was roasted in previous steps).

99, 100, 101, 102. Add 5 g ground fennel (the fennel that was roasted in previous steps).

105 to 110. Add 30 g almond halves and stir.

111, 112. Keep the mixture over medium heat until rice is tender and cooked and all the flavors are combined together. The time from adding rice to the end was 15 minutes.

113 to 120. Serve hot Hboub in plates or bowls.

121 to 136. Allow Hboub to cool at room temperature, then garnish with desiccated coconut, ground anise seeds, ground fennel seeds, almond halves, and sugar coated fennel seeds. Then put in the refrigerator to cool.

137. Serve Hboub Cold.

Hboub

From: Family Recipe / Servings: 2 – 3 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images

30 g dried chickpeas 200  ml water, to soak chickpeas less than 1/8 tsp qelo, to soak chickpeas 50 g peeled wheat berries 200 ml water, to soak wheat berries After 12 hours 200 ml water, to cook chickpeas 30 g Egyptian short grain rice 200 ml boiling water, to soak rice 900 ml water, to cook wheat berries 50 g sugar 5 g ground anise seeds, read notes and tips 5 g ground fennel seeds, read notes and tips 30 g almond halves Garnish 10 g desiccated coconut 5 g ground anise seeds, read notes and tips 5 g ground fennel seeds, read notes and tips 10 g almond halves 10 g sugar coated fennel seeds

Measure 30 g dried chickpeas and put in a small pot. Rinse chickpeas in several changes with water. Pour 200 ml water to cover chickpeas. Add less than 1/8 teaspoon Qelo to chickpeas. Qelo قلو: is a white powder. In Syria, it is added to to tenderize chickpeas during cooking. You can substitute with baking soda (each one teaspoon of Qelo equal to two teaspoons of baking soda), but Qelo is much way better and will not leave a bitter taste. Let chickpeas to soak for 12 hours at room temperature. Measure 50 g peeled wheat berries and put in a bowl. Rinse peeled wheat berries in several changes with water, put in a strainer to help you. Put rinsed wheat berries in a bowl. Pour 200 ml water to cover wheat berries. Let the wheat berries to soak for 12 hours. Put aluminum pan over medium heat, and add 10 g anise seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute. Put roasted anise seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside. To same pan and over medium heat, add 10 g fennel seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute. Put roasted fennel seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside. After 12 hours After 12 hours, chickpeas will expand to over double their size. Drain water from chickpeas. Pour 200 ml water to cover chickpeas. Turn on heat and keep on high heat until boiling. Once boiling vigorously, reduce heat and keep on low heat. Cook chickpeas until slightly tender, do not overcook. Drain water from chickpeas Peel the chickpeas. Split chickpeas in half, and set aside. Put 30 g Egyptian short grain rice in a bowl. Pour 200 ml boiling water to cover rice. Stir and set aside to soak for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain water from rice. Wash and rinse rice in three changes of water. Drain water from rice and set aside. Drain water from peeled wheat berries. Rinse peeled wheat berries in several changes with water. Put peeled wheat berries in a deep pot. Pour 900 ml water to cover peeled wheat berries Turn on heat, and keep over high heat with continuous stirring using a wooden spoon until it starts to boil. Reduce heat and cook over medium heat with continuous stirring until wheat berries are tender and cooked, it took 30 minutes. Once wheat berries are cooked, add Egyptian rice to it and stir. Put over high heat until it starts to boil, then reduce heat and keep over medium heat. Few minutes after adding the rice, add chickpea halve and stir. Add 50 g sugar to the mixture and stir. Add 5 g ground anise (the anise that was roasted in previous steps). Add 5 g ground fennel (the fennel that was roasted in previous steps). Add 30 g almond halves and stir. Keep the mixture over medium heat until rice is tender and cooked and all the flavors are combined together. The time from adding rice to the end was 15 minutes. Serve hot Hboub in plates or bowls. Allow Hboub to cool at room temperature, then garnish with desiccated coconut, ground anise seeds, ground fennel seeds, almond halves, and sugar coated fennel seeds. Then put in the refrigerator to cool. Serve Hboub Cold.

Notes and Tips

Peeled wheat is known in Arabic as (Qameh Maqshour), For larger photos: click here and here.

Anise seeds and fennel seeds should be roasted as shown in the steps then ground into powder then used for flavoring hboub and for the garnish.

Dried fava beans and dried white beans can be added too. Do the same steps of chickpeas (soaking “for fava beans or dried white beans soak without qelo or baking soda” then cooking) before adding them.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 3:52 PM and is filed under Syrian Baking and Desserts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.