Date cups filled with Khoya/Mawa

Every journey begins with a dream and every dream is a tiny seed that is implanted in our tiny boxes on top of our shoulders and likewise every trial and experiment in the kitchen involves a culinary journey through our hearts and minds and creates that gastronomical sense of WOW! That no other creative venture provides. I have found creating recipes in the kitchen a complete and wholesome experience of mind, body and soul and the pleasures from seeing the outcome is a surprise and such a wonderful surprise. 

Like the flow of water you cannot really stop the flow of ideas. Once I start browsing the glitzy food magazines, I am transported to a different plane. Being an avid reader of these magazines and journals since my early teens these moments of aimless surfing the pages are moment of pure bliss for me. I remember having been caught reading my mother's magazines and having been reprimanded after being caught red-handed and being chided to "read your own textbooks with the same passion young lady!"

These days I am free to browse and browse till my heart's content and download them on my Zinio App. What an opportunity and imagine my bliss....All the world's magazines in an e format for me to gloss over. 

On one such recent browsing session I came across a wonderful recipe of date cups filled with chocolate mouse and since I have a sweet tooth and I have a weakness for Indian desserts. I thought of twisting it and playing with  the Khoya ( mawa) sitting on the fridge and few condensed milk tins in my pantry rolling over to reach the expiry zone soon.

The dates, khoya and nuts matched well and the outcome was very appetising.

Ingredients
----------------
For the cup
2 cups pitted dates
1/2 cup unsalted almonds finely crushed
2 teaspoon ghee

For Filling/stuffing
-------------------------
100g mawa/khoya crumbled - (I used Nanak brand)
100g condensed milk
1tablespoon almond meal

Pulse the pitted dates into a paste. Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan and light cook the dates for 5 to 7 minutes on medium flame. Be careful not to burn the dates and cook till it doesn't taste raw.
Remove it and keep it aside. While still warm. Roll it in to a walnut size ball and use a mini silicon cupcake holder to give the shape. Press the ball into the holder sides and keep it in the fridge for couple of hours. It is easy to un mould from a silicon holder.

For the filling
 Heat 1 teaspoon of ghee in a pan and stir the khoya. Cook till it becomes a paste. Add condensed milk and stir for 5 to 7 minutes on a low flame. Add  almond meal and give it a final stir. Remove it from the fire and stuffing is ready. It is soft and goey.

Once the cup is ready, unmould it and stuff it with the filling  and garnish it with nuts.

I have used another way to make this dessert. Roll the cooked  dates with a rolling pin and spread the cooked khoya/ mawa filling. Sprinkle the nuts and roll it using a baking paper. Slice and Serve.