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Dibyaza
Dibyaza (دبيازة): Hejazi Eid compote of apricot paste, dates and nuts
No Eid table in Jeddah or Mecca is complete without a bowl of dibyaza, a thick, glossy compote that old Hejazi families make the night before the festival and serve at breakfast alongside cheese, olives and fresh bread. Sheets of dried apricot paste melt into a tangy orange syrup that wraps around soft dates, figs, prunes and crunchy nuts, so every spoonful is sweet, sour and jammy at once. Some households stir in fried onion for a savoury edge; this version keeps it to fruit and nuts. People often boil it hard and scorch the bottom, because apricot paste catches very easily. Keep the heat low and stir from the base. It keeps for a week in the fridge. Chef's tip: soak the apricot paste in hot water until completely soft before it goes near the heat; it then dissolves smooth instead of leaving rubbery shreds.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 14 oz dried apricot paste sheetstorn into pieces
- 1 litre hot water
- 5 ½ oz soft datespitted and halved
- 3 ½ oz dried figsquartered
- 3 ½ oz prunespitted
- 3 ½ oz dried apricotshalved
- 1 ¾ oz golden raisins
- 1 ¾ oz sugaror to taste
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
To finish
- 1 ¾ oz blanched almondstoasted
- 1 oz pistachiosroughly chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)toasted
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz dried apricot paste sheets in a large pan, pour over 1 litre hot water and leave to soak until completely soft, stirring now and then.
20 minStep 2: Whisk or mash the soaked paste into a smooth, thick orange liquid. If lumps remain, blitz it briefly with a stick blender.
Step 3: Add 5 ½ oz soft dates, 3 ½ oz dried figs, 3 ½ oz prunes, 3 ½ oz dried apricots, 1 ¾ oz golden raisins, 1 ¾ oz sugar and ½ tsp ground cardamom. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat.
Step 4: Cook, stirring from the bottom every few minutes, until the fruit is plump and the syrup is thick enough to coat a spoon heavily, about 30 minutes. Lower the heat if it starts to spit or catch.
30 minStep 5: Stir in 1 ¾ oz blanched almonds and 1 oz pistachios, then take off the heat. It thickens a lot as it cools.
Step 6: Serve at room temperature or chilled, scattered with 2 tbsp pine nuts. Keep covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dibyaza take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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