[Sca-cooks] Re: Asabi Zainab

[Martha Oser]

Cynara wrote: 

> Since you don't care for rosewater, you might try orange blossom water. It
> has the same kind of floral character but I personally find it much more
> pleasant. It's called for in several early Catalan recipes so it should be
> appropriate for this dish. 
> 
> Also you may be getting icky rosewater. I've had really good subtle
> rosewater and really chemical-tasting rosewater. 
> 
> And I too found your recipe mouth-watering and I'm planning to try it. Thank
> you.

Ooh, good idea!  I'll have to try the orange water the next time I make 
them.  Like I said before, though, the combination of the honey syrup with 
the rosewater (and perhaps the vanilla) mitigated the effect of the 
rosewater adequately (for me, anyway). 

I'll have to check the brand of the rosewater I'm using, but I got it at our 
local Middle Eastern market.  I think it's produced in Lebanon... 

My other thought is to add a little cinnamon to the nuts rather than 
cardamom (or musk).  The cardamom was just an interesting variety in my 
mind. 

Best of luck when you try the recipe.  You'll have to report your findings 
and any suggestions you might have.  If you use wooden dowels to fry on, 
they will float in the oil and you will need to turn them to brown evenly.  
If you use metal cannoli forms, they most likely won't float (mine never 
have, unless the shell forms a huge bubble) and you will need to be careful 
of over-browning where they rest on the bottom of the pot (if you're not 
using a deep-fryer machine). 

 -Helena