Date Puree

Most of us have become very health conscious these days. The weight watchers and diabetics have a hard time resisting the tempting sweets which are suddenly found in every nook and corner of the house during the festive season. I myself have one big kaju katli ka dabba lying in the fridge which seems to be getting more and more irrestible day by day :P

While the market is flooded with artificial sweetners for the weight watchers and diabetics, studies have shown that if taken for a long peiod of time, they can prove to be carcinogenic or cancer causing. And lets admit it - mithais and halwa somehow don't have the same flavors when made with Equal or Sugarfree.

Date puree is something that I came across a few years back at a gourmet store. The guy at the counter told me that it can be used as a sugar substitute to make mithais and is completely natural. I didn't pick it up at that time because it seemed to be a bit expensive. However that very week my sister in law gifted us a box full of dates which she had got from Dubai. Since no one in my family is really fond of dates, they kept lying in the fridge until one day it struck me that I could try making puree out of it. Not only did the puree come out well but I was also able to make sugar free gujiyas out of it. It is a perfectly simple recipe and hardly takes 15 minutes

Ingredients :

1 cup seedless dates

1 cup hot water

Add the dates to the hot water and microwave for 2 minutes to soften. Add more hot water if needed and blend it in the blender. You can change the consistency by adjusting the amount of water. I usually prefer it to be a bit on the thicker side so that it seems more like a paste. You can transfer this to an air tight container and store it in the refrigerator for further use. It has a pretty long shelf life

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