Omani Date Pearls

From today's 'Thursday' magazine. This recipe was submitted by Sathi Nair and she won R.O. 20/- for this very impressive dessert!

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Yields: 12-15 Omani date pearls

Ingredients

• 12 -15  dates
• 2  cups  vermicelli, fine variety
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 2  tablespoons ghee
• 1  cup  dried fruits or 1  cup  nuts (almonds blanched, cashewnuts broken into small pieces, pistachios chopped)
• 1⁄2 cup water

Directions

1. Remove the seeds from the dates and keep aside.
2. Then, coarsely crush the dry nuts with 1/2 a cup of sugar.
3. Spread the coarsely crushed nuts on a plate.
4. Crush vermicelli and roast in ghee until golden brown.
5. Add water and stir for 2 minutes continuously.
6. Add sugar.
7. Mix well until the mixture becomes thick and dry.
8. Allow to cool.
9. Add sugar.
10. Mix well, once again, until the mixture becomes thick and dry.
11. Allow to cool.
12. Add 3 tsps. of the crushed nuts powder to this.
13. Stuff each date with a little of this mixture.
14. Put a tbsp. of the mixture onto your palm
15. Place a date in the centre.
16. Gently cover the date, leaving only a small portion of it visible to the naked eye.
17. Roll this date onto the dry nuts powder until well covered.
18. Carefully, lay out edible silver foil on a tray (edible silver foil="chandi ka warq" in Hindi).
19. Add some cashews and almonds.
20. Transfer the date pearls to this tray.
21. Garnish with few cashews and almonds.