Gülablı qovut - Rose and walnut biscuits

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Rose and walnut biscuits

These biscuits (cookies) of roasted wheat with walnuts are served on special occasions, especially at the Novruz spring holiday.

Rosewater, cinnamon, saffron and coriander seeds give these biscuits a distinctive Azerbaijani flavour.

Preparation time: 50 min
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• 200 g/8 oz wheat grains
• 100 g/4 oz shelled walnuts
• 100 g/4 oz sugar
• 100 ml/3.5 imperial fl.oz water
• a few threads of saffron
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• 1 tspn coriander seeds
• 40 ml/1.5 imperial fl.oz rosewater

Preparation

• Put a few threads of saffron in a cup and add boiling water. Cover and leave to infuse.
• To roast the wheat, put the wheat grains into an ungreased frying pan. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes over a medium heat, stirring or shaking the pan continuously. Remove the pan from the heat before the wheat goes too dark and starts to burn.
• Remove the skin from the walnuts by heating them in a frying pan, then placing inside a clean teacloth and rubbing, but not too hard. This method of removing the skin enhances the flavour of the nuts, as roasting does for the wheat.
• Heat the water in a pan and add the sugar. Stir well until the sugar dissolves, then leave the syrup to cool.
• Grind the roast wheat, walnuts and coriander seeds in a nut or coffee grinder.
• Add the saffron infusion, rosewater, ground wheat, walnuts and spices to the syrup and mix thoroughly.
• Shape the mixture into rounds and leave to firm up.