Dubai's viral crunchy pistachio Kunafa chocolate bar is mouth-wateringly good
While it may have orignated in the Emirati country, it hasn’t stopped people from salivating after the chocolate bar and creators from recreating it on online.
Chocolate with hints of pistachio, crunchy yet smooth, the viral Kunafa chocolate bar is a beautiful symphony of textures and flavours. Created in Dubai by FIX Dessert Chocolatier, this stuffed chocolate bar retails for 62aed. This brand may only exist in this Emirati country, but it hasn’t stopped people from salivating after it. This has also led to content creators experimenting and recreating it on social media.
This bar is filled with a crunchy filling made by mixing crispy thin kataifi pastry with pistachio cream. It is set into a mould and covered in either dark or milk chocolate.
All stuffed up
Chef Neha Shah, who has eaten the viral chocolate bar during her recent trip to Dubai, says, “So I’ve tasted the original bar from Fix and it is really nice. Last year, I ate something similar at the Salon Du La Chocolat in Dubai (a chocolate fair) but it was created by someone else; it honestly blew my mind.”
So when she came back, Chef Shah had to recreate it for her audience. “It is hard to get the kataifi pastry in India, so I used sevaiya noodles that are used to make kheer. I roasted it in ghee and then mixed in the pistachio cream, which I also made the pistachio cream at home. It is a pretty jugadu version but it tasted pretty good, “ she says.
A healthy twist
When chef and certified nutritionist Aathira Sethumadhavan first came across this bar, she wished she lived in Dubai. “It looked super inviting and people's reactions after tasting it seemed completely genuine. But I was also sure that if I got my hands on one of those chocolate bars, I would quite possibly devour the whole thing.”
“I am a chocoholic, but as a nutritionist, my focus has always been on sustainable dieting and I strongly believe this can be achieved through moderation, along with a few swaps for healthier ingredients,” shares certified nutritionist, chef Aathira Sethumadhavan. She opted to recreate the viral recipe in the form of bites rather than a whole bar as it is easier to portion control in this way.
Instead of using pistachio cream that is made using white chocolate and loads of added sugar, Sethumadhavan used dates and coconut milk. “In place of kataifi pastry (which is just shredded phyllo dough or filo pastry made from refined flour), I used roasted whole wheat vermicelli that still gave the same crunch and also used sugar-free dark chocolate to coat each morsel. The result was a healthier, 92 Kcal kunafa bites, which still managed to taste out of the world,” she says.
Some other flavours that would also work are hazelnut and praline, peanut butter, salted caramel or Biscoff.
How to make a pistachio cream
This indulgent spread can be used in the viral chocolate bar, on toast or in other desserts. To make it, roast pistachio on a tawa or in the oven. Let it cool and blend till it forms clumps, similar to wet sand. You can either add melted and cooled white chocolate or oil and give it another blend till it is smooth. Now you can add sugar if you want it to be sweeter and food colouring to amp up the green. Add a pinch of salt and give it a gentle mix.
Tips on correctly tempering chocolate at home by Mahesh Pal Singh, head chocolatier, Smoor
1. Save one-third of chocolate by weight.
2. Melt the rest of the chocolate in the microwave. Be extra careful not to overheat it. The temperature of the chocolate should not exceed more than 45°C.
3. Add saved chocolate slowly while stirring, till everything is fully melted.
4. Continue stirring till the temperature reaches (31°C).
5. Tempered chocolate can be checked using parchment paper. It comes off easily from paper. It is shiny and firm when tempered properly.
