Mother's Day treats from Pakistan: exclusive extract from Sumayya Usmani's new recipe book, Mountain Berries & Desert Spice

Many people shy away from making South Asian desserts as they feel that they are complicated to make or perhaps not as important as the savoury dishes. I can assure you that if you stop viewing these desserts as an appendage to a meal, and instead look at them as a fundamental part of our food culture and an indulgence to savour, you will soon find yourself under the spell of the exotic flavours, historical romance and comfort of Pakistani desserts.

It was my mother who did all of the cooking when I was growing up, and while she made sure there were always desserts, she never had much of a sweet tooth herself, save for one indulgence. Passing by a mithai (sweetmeat) shop, she would stop for a barfi heart – these perfectly shaped sweets made from khoya (milk fudge) were headily infused with rose water and cardamom and would crumble and melt in the mouth.

Much like a child’s weekly trip to the sweetie shop in the West, in Pakistan I would get pocket money to buy my favourite mithais. A couple of rupees would buy a crumpled greasy brown paper bag filled with either tiny colourful dots of boondi (sweet, fried chickpea flour), a flaky patisa (a ghee- and sugar-packed sweet), or sometimes a sticky, sugary cottage cheese called cham cham, which I would always buy to share with my Nani (maternal grandmother). There is something wonderful about mithai shops: you’re

greeted with a smile and air that’s thick with sugar, cardamom and fudge-like aromas, as well as a multitude of colours, assorted shapes and piles of sugar-soaked saffron doughnuts. It’s really quite magical.

My early childhood was spent on the seas with my father, who was a merchant navy captain and my earliest memory of making desserts is helping my mother to mix fudge on an electric frying pan in the ship’s galley. When we moved back to dry land in 1980, my mother returned to making more traditional desserts, and most special to me was when her kitchen would come alive with the scents of indulgent Eid desserts. She would get up at the crack of dawn and slave away, meticulously making daal ka halva (lentil halva), seviyan (sweet vermicelli) and gajar ka halva (carrot halva) for what seemed like hours.

This sensory recollection comes alive today the moment cloves, cardamom and saffron infuse in a dessert – these transport me to gleeful moments watching my mother make Pakistani sweets, decorating them with thin slivers of pistachios and almonds and brushing them with silver leaf.

I was never taught many of my grandmother’s and mother’s desserts, but I can cook them from the memory of the flavour and use andaza (estimation and sensory cooking), to recreate the dishes, no matter how simple or complicated. This is the ethos of Pakistani cookery.

Growing up in the UK, my daughter Ayaana’s greatest link to her Pakistani heritage are the flavours of my childhood and she’s learning the art of andaza. I find her taking interest in making Pakistani seviyan and a halva of any kind.

Her understanding for spicing is slowly growing and she helped to create the flavours of the festive truffles on these pages.

Many Pakistani desserts can be very sweet (Pakistanis have a very sweet tooth!), so I have adapted the levels of sugar in my recipes and balanced the spices to ensure that they complement local produce available in the West. Of course, if you enjoy them sweeter, add more sugar.

Though some Pakistani dessert recipes may seem challenging, I would urge you not to be deterred from trying to make them. I find the process therapeutic, and the end result is an offering of love and commitment. To this day, desserts in my home mean a time for hospitality and "muh meetha karna" (sweetening the mouth) of those I love. Desserts help me maintain the heart of Pakistani culture in my home away from home.

Extracted from Mountain Berries & Desert Spice: Sweet Inspirations From The Hunza Valley To The Arabian Sea by Sumayya Usmani, published by Frances Lincoln on April 6, £20. Join Sumayya for the book's Scottish launch at Waterstone’s Sauchiehall Street on Wednesday, April 26

Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Sumayya Usmani is a food writer, author and cookery teacher. Tune in for her regular slot as a presenter on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Kitchen Café

Gajrela

Carrot rice pudding

This is a festive pudding that to me unifies the flavours of Karachi. The origins of this dessert are from the Punjab, but there are many different recipes for it in different communities. My favourite by far is this delicious carrot and rice version, which is made in the winter when carrots in Pakistan are deep red, crunchy and intensely sweet. It is one my Nani (maternal grandmother) always made.

Preparation 35 minutes plus overnight soaking | Cooking 1 hour | Serves 6-8

100g/3½ oz/½ cup basmati rice

1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups whole milk

4 cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed

6 carrots, peeled and grated

2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter

250g/9 oz/scant 1½ cups caster (superfine) sugar

150ml/5 fl oz/2?3 cup thick double (heavy) cream, to serve

To decorate

2 tbsp chopped almonds, cashews or pistachios

2-3 tbsp desiccated (dry unsweetened) coconut

1 tbsp raisins

Soak the rice in a bowl of water overnight. The next day, drain the rice and set aside.

Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy-based saucepan, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the milk begins to thicken (around 25 minutes), stirring every 1-2 minutes with a wooden spoon to stop the milk sticking to the base of the pan. Add the crushed cardamom seeds and keep stirring. Do not allow the milk to boil. Add the rice and simmer over a low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the rice is soft and cooked.

Meanwhile, dry-roast the grated carrots in a separate pan over a low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to wilt, then add the ghee or butter and stir-fry vigorously. When the carrots turn dark (about 3-5 minutes), add the sugar and stir until it is combined (about 2-3 minutes).

Add the carrots to the rice and milk mixture and keep stirring. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and, using a hand-held stick blender, blend the mixture briefly until the carrots and rice are slightly broken down.

Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring vigorously for 2-3 minutes. You can serve this hot or cold. If serving hot, pour into bowls and decorate. If serving cold, allow it to cool in a serving dish and then decorate. Either way, serve with thick cream on the side.

Shahi tukra brioche

bread pudding

with saffron, ricotta, cranberries and chopped nuts

This is a festive bread pudding with a history that goes as far back as the Mughal emperors, but I have updated it by using sweet brioche bread to add a rich flavour. This dessert can either be baked or unbaked and served chilled or warm.

Preparation 25 minutes plus chilling | Cooking 30 minutes | Serves 6-8

1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups whole milk

250ml/9 fl oz/generous

1 cup condensed milk

a pinch of saffron threads

4 cardamom pods, seeds removed and finely crushed

150g/5½ oz/2?3 cup ricotta

3 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter

10 slices of brioche loaf, cut in half

handful of chopped pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, dried cranberries, cherries and raisins

dried rose petals

gold or silver leaf

Put the milk, condensed milk, saffron and cardamom together in a heavy-based pan and bring to the boil over a low-medium heat. Turn the heat down to low, add the ricotta, stir until smooth (tiny lumps may remain, which are fine) and cook for 10 minutes until thick. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the ghee in a pan, add a brioche slice and fry until it is toasted on both sides. Transfer the brioche to an ovenproof dish and repeat frying all each slice of brioche in 1 teaspoon of ghee.

Pour the milk mixture over the brioche and decorate with nuts, berries and raisins. At this point you can either refrigerate or bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Scatter rose petals over the top and adorn with gold or silver leaf to serve.

Spiced and floral truffles

with dates, apricots, walnuts and pistachio

What keeps my daughter Ayaana grounded to her roots are the flavours of Pakistani cooking. I learnt much of my cooking by osmosis and it appears she is doing the same, which is why it wasn’t a surprise when, at seven years old, she made up this recipe. Fun when made with little hands.

Preparation 20-25 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling | Makes 6-8

10g/¼ oz/scant 1½ tbsp walnuts

10g/¼ oz/scant 1½ tbsp unsalted pistachios

100g/3½ oz/2?3 cup soft dates, pitted

20g/¾ oz/scant ¼ cup soft dried apricots

30g/1 oz/2 tbsp butter, melted

1 cardamom pod, seeds removed and finely ground

1 tsp rose water

4 tbsp condensed milk

3 tbsp desiccated (dry unsweetened) coconut, finely ground

To decorate

2 tbsp dried pink rose petals

1 tbsp desiccated (dry unsweetened) coconut

1 tbsp finely ground pistachios

Blitz the walnuts roughly in a food processor and set aside, then blitz the pistachios roughly and set aside separately.

Add all the main ingredients to a food processor with the ground nuts and blend until combined. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

When ready to make, take a heaped teaspoon of the cooled mixture and form it into a small ball, then roll it in a mix of rose petals, coconut and ground pistachios.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week.

Mummy’s panjeri semolina granola

with mixed nuts, dried fruit and puffed Arabic gum

This is made with a mix of fortifying ingredients that are said to nurse ill health, energise new mothers, and provide a filling breakfast. Both my grandmothers and mother used to make this frequently, and each recipe was slightly different.

This is my version using lots of dried berries, fruits and a variety of nuts. It is wonderful served with Greek yoghurt, over cereal or even on its own.

Preparation 15 minutes | Cooking 15 | Serves 5–6

2-3 tbsp ghee

2 tsp Arabic gum crystals

3-4 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground

1 tbsp roughly chopped pistachios

1 tbsp roughly chopped almonds or pecans

1 tbsp roughly chopped walnuts

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp raisins

2 tbsp chopped dried

apricots

1 tbsp dried blueberries or cherries

1 tbsp dried cranberries

150g/5½ oz/scant 1 cup coarse semolina

1-2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh coconut

50g/1¾ oz/¼ cup caster

(superfine) sugar

Heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a saucepan or frying pan over a medium heat. Carefully add the Arabic gum crystals and allow to puff up, about 1-2 minutes. Once puffed up, place on a piece of kitchen paper. Set aside.

Add the remaining ghee to the pan, reduce the heat to low, then toss in the cardamom, and all the nuts, seeds and dried fruit, and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Add the semolina and fry for 5 minutes, mixing it in with all the nuts, fruit and coconut. Keep the heat on low and do not let the semolina burn on the base of the pan. The colour of the semolina should start to darken slightly.

Now add the sugar and fry, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Do not let the sugar dissolve.

Turn off the heat, allow the panjeri to cool, then serve or store in an airtight container for up to three days.