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Assida zgougou
Tunisian Aleppo-pine seed custard for the Mouled
Assida zgougou is made in Tunisian homes once a year, for the Mouled (the Prophet's birthday): a dark, nutty pudding of Aleppo pine seeds (zgougou) cooked with flour and sugar, topped with a pale vanilla custard and decorated with almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and sugared almonds. Families make dozens of glasses to share with neighbours. Zgougou is sold in Tunisian and North African grocers; ground hazelnuts are a stand-in, though the taste is different. Chef's tip: strain the zgougou liquid through muslin twice; any grit ruins the smooth texture.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the zgougou layer
For the custard
To decorate
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz ground Aleppo pine seeds (zgougou) with 1.2 litres water and leave for 15 minutes, then strain through a sieve lined with muslin, pressing hard. Strain again; you want a smooth, dark liquid.
20 minStep 2: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz plain flour and 5 ½ oz sugar into the zgougou liquid in a pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for 15–20 minutes until thick like a heavy custard. Common mistake: stopping too soon — undercooked it tastes floury and does not set.
20 minStep 3: Pour into 8 glasses or bowls, filling them two-thirds full. Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Whisk 2 ½ cups whole milk, 1 ⅝ oz cornflour, 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 3 egg yolks in a clean pan and cook over a medium-low heat, whisking, for 6–8 minutes until thick and bubbling. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp orange blossom water.
8 minStep 5: Spoon the custard gently over the zgougou in an even white layer.
Step 6: Chill for at least 3 hours. Decorate with 1 oz pistachios, 1 oz blanched almonds, ⅔ oz pine nuts and 8 sugared almonds just before serving.
180 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does assida zgougou take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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