I have always loved southern desserts, and one of them is ranginak. Remember that every Thursday, my mother would make this Persian dessert in memory of the loved ones who were no longer with us.
I always looked forward to this delicious dessert being prepared, and I would take it to my neighbors as a courtesy.
A very delicious dessert made of dates, flour, and special spices, the combination of which is great. In short, there is a world of deliciousness and memory behind this dessert, which I will explain below.
Ranginak at a Glance
| Difficulty Level: | Easy (1/10) |
| Prep Time: | 20 Minutes |
| Cook Time: | 20 Minutes |
| Calories: | ~ 423 Kcal |
| Best Served With: | Persian Tea, Gol Gav Zaban |
| Occasion: | Ramadan Iftar, Evening Parties |
What is ranginak?
Ranginak is a combination of dates and walnuts that is delicious and nutritious. One of these tasty,low-volume, and high-energy desserts that are very easy to cook is this Persian dessert.
Persian date dessert is one of the most delicious traditional Iranian desserts, and it originates in the southern cities of our country, including Bushehr, Khuzestan, Bandar Abbas, and the south of Fars province.
It feels full for a long time, and the durability of this dessert is very good.
This authentic southern dessert has great energy due to the presence of dates and walnuts, which are considered the best medicine for low blood pressure. Due to the warm nature of this delicious sweet, it is considered one of the autumn desserts.
I won’t say anything about its unique taste and aroma, and you should try it yourself! Join us to prepare a delicious Iranian dessert from Meals Cook recipes.
One of the most important ingredients in this dessert is dates, which we will briefly describe below.
How to make simple Ranginak?
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
The number of calories in an average plate: 423 calories
Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Volume (Original) | Weight (Metric) | Weight (Imperial) |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Flour | 2 Cups | ~ 250 g | 0.55 lbs |
| Butter / Animal Oil | 7 – 8.8 oz | 200 – 250 g | 0.44 – 0.55 lbs |
| Cinnamon Powder | 1 Tablespoon | ~ 8 g | – |
| Cardamom Powder | 1/2 Teaspoon | ~ 1 g | – |
| Dates | Fill the dish | As needed | As needed |
| Walnuts | As needed | As needed | As needed |
| Coconut Powder | For decoration | As needed | As needed |
Instruction:
1. Melt butter in a pan:
In the first step of making a simple Persian date dessert, you have to pour the butter into a pan. Let the butter melt over low heat.
The amount of butter needed to make this sweet is between 200 and 250 grams. If you like to use less butter, you can use 200 grams of butter.
Remember, in preparation for this dessert, you should add half the amount of flour, butter, or oil to it.
2. Roasting flour:
In the second step, you must sift the flour once to separate any lumps in it. Then, add the homogenized flour to the melted butter; with the help of a wooden spoon, mix the butter and flour on low heat.
Continue this until the rawness of the flour is gone, and it is fried well. Stir the flour and butter constantly until it does not stick, and it gets a little color and becomes golden.
Then turn off the flame and let it cool down a bit. To achieve the color, note that the mixture of flour and butter should not become dark and hard like halva, and you should take it a little thinner from the gas.
3. Preparing dates:
In the third step, you need to separate the skin and core of the dates. You can use a strong straw or a clean automatic tube to remove the cores of the dates more easily. Then, instead of the date kernel, put a quarter of a walnut inside the date.
Repeat this for all dates. Your dates should be enough to fill a medium bowl. If you like the walnuts that are used to make the color crunchy, you can roast some of them in a pan and then put them inside the dates. In the second step, you must sift the flour once to separate any lumps in it.
Then, add the homogenized flour to the melted butter; with the help of a wooden spoon, mix the butter and flour on low heat.
Continue this until the rawness of the flour is gone and it is fried well. Stir the flour and butter constantly until it does not stick, and it gets a little color and becomes golden.
Then turn off the flame and let it cool down a bit. To achieve the color, note that the mixture of flour and butter should not become dark and hard like halva, and you should take it a little thinner from the gas.
4. Mixing ingredients:
After the mixture of flour and butter has cooled a little, add cinnamon powder and cardamom powder to it. Then, mix the ingredients well.
Now, pour some of this mixture into the desired dish. Place the dates filled with walnuts on top of these ingredients and inside the dish.
It is not necessary to place the dates very close together. Just fill the dish and put dates wherever necessary.
This will prevent your sweet from taking on too much date flavor and make it more delicious. Then, pour the mixture of flour and butter over the dates until the surface is completely covered.
5. Serving :
In the last step of how to prepare date dessert, you should put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so that it hardens and sets. Then, before serving, remove it from the refrigerator and sprinkle some coconut powder and pistachio powder on it.
You can eat this delicious dessert with Persian tea. In the way of preparing this dessert, after you pour all the ingredients into the dish, you can sift some powdered sugar and cinnamon on it.
Then, put this Persian sweet in the refrigerator to harden. If you like, serve and eat this dessert warm and enjoy its warm and delicate taste.
In Ramadan, Ranginak is served as a nutritious dessert at the Iftar table, next to the Sholeh Zard, Ash reshteh, and Halva havij.
Notes :
- If you want your Iranian dessert to be a little more oily, use 8.8 ounces of butter.
- You should add half of this amount of oil or butter to whatever flour.
- You can decorate the top with sliced pistachios as desired.
- For a better taste of this dessert, you can use 1.5 cups of white flour along with 1/2 cup of chickpea flour.
- You can halve the amount of butter and use solid oil for the rest.
- The number of dates depends on the dish in which it is served, and it should be enough to cover the ingredients completely.
- You can roast the walnuts a little over a gentle heat until they are roasted, and then use them.
- You can use cocoa powder in the mixture of flour and butter for another taste.
FAQ
1. What is Ranginak made of?
Ranginak is a rich Southern Iranian dessert made primarily of dates and walnuts. The stuffed dates are layered in a dish and covered with a golden mixture of roasted flour, butter (or animal oil), cinnamon, and cardamom.
2. How does the flour mixture differ from Halva?
While the process starts similarly to Halva by roasting flour in butter, the Ranginak mixture should be lighter in color (golden, not dark brown) and have a thinner, looser consistency so it can easily pour over and cover the dates.
3. How long should I refrigerate this dessert before serving?
You should place the dish in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This allows the butter and flour mixture to harden and set, making it easy to slice and serve.
4. Can I modify the ingredients for a different flavor?
Yes. The recipe suggests you can replace about 1/2 cup of the white flour with chickpea flour for a nuttier taste. You can also add cocoa powder to the flour mixture if you prefer a chocolate variation.
5. Why is this dessert recommended for Ramadan?
Because it is made with dates and walnuts, Ranginak is high in energy, protein, and natural sugars. This makes it a perfect “tonic” dessert for Iftar (breaking the fast) as it helps prevent hunger and restores strength quickly.
