Mountain Berries and Desert Spice: Sweet Inspiration from the Hunza Valley to the Arabian Sea by Sumayya Usmani

  • Whipped semolina halva with pomegranate and raspberry (page 31)

    from Mountain Berries and Desert Spice: Sweet Inspiration from the Hunza Valley to the Arabian Sea Mountain Berries and Desert Spice by Sumayya Usmani

    • Categories: Breakfast / brunch; Cooking ahead; Pakistani
    • Ingredients: pomegranates; raspberries; fine semolina; milk; cardamom pods
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Sweet vermicelli pudding with black cardamom and vanilla

    • lkgrover on August 18, 2025

      Easy vermicelli noodles with a sweet flavor; an unusual variation for my breakfast. I topped with pistachios and raisins, as suggested.

  • Peshwari pistachio ice cream

    • mziech on May 23, 2017

      Very light ice cream. I used raw goats milk instead of raw cow's milk. thickening of base is achieved by cornflower/mastic/gelatine (no eggs). The mixture wouldn't thicken so added a little extra. The ice cream consistency after churning was great though. Toasted the pistachios for extra flavor.

  • Raw mango salad with black salt, red chilli and lime

    • lkgrover on September 24, 2025

      Good salad with green mangoes -- more savory than sweet.

  • Mango, thyme and pink salt

    • mjes on May 21, 2018

      This recipe makes a substitute for malai (fresh whipped buffalo's milk clotted cream) from heavy cream and sour cream. I've not tasted malai but the cream/sour cream product was very nice. The mango is seasoned with poppy seeds, pink salt, pistachios, jaggery (as I had no misri) and, as a substitute for lemon thyme, thyme and a bit of lemon zest. Note these are served on the side so one can play with proportions with each mango slice. In short, I had a Western adaptation not an original Pakistani recipe. But I really enjoyed this and would gladly offer it to guests.

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Reviews about this book

  • Ms Marmite Lover

    The book explores the landscape and ingredients of Pakistan...Beautiful styling, propping and photography...

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 0711238529
  • ISBN 13 9780711238527
  • Published Apr 06 2017
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 192
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom, United States
  • Publisher Frances Lincoln

Publishers Text

In this eagerly awaited follow up to her Pakistani cookbook Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, food writer and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani continues her journey of discovery through the exotic cuisine of her native Pakistan. Mountain Berries and Desert Spice introduces home cooks to Pakistani desserts and explores their unique significance in the country’s culture and traditions. The 70 authentic and family recipes travel from the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains in the north (where berries and fruits grow in abundance), via the fertile Punjab (with its rice- and grain-based desserts) to the Arabian Sea in the south, where saffron- and cardamom-laced sweet recipes are a favourite. From the sweet snacks shared between friends over coffee to sumptuous desserts fit for lavish weddings, Sumayya tempts the reader with beautiful, easily achieved recipes that anyone can savour.

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