If you haven’t heard of the viral Dubai Chocolate craze before, you have now. And I think you’ll start seeing Dubai chocolate flavors popping up in grocery store aisles, too. Let me give you the backstory, and at the end, I’ll share some ideas for enjoying these international flavors at home.
In 2021, a chocolatier in Dubai had a pregnancy craving, and she worked with another chef to bring her idea to life. They created a unique chocolate bar by combining traditional ingredients from their Middle Eastern Cuisine: generous amounts of pistachio cream mixed with crunchy kataifi, tucked inside a rich milk chocolate bar. (More about what kataifi is later.) Local customers loved them, but it wasn’t until early 2024 that their creation went viral, after being featured in a popular TikTok video. Overnight, people everywhere were clamoring for bars of their own to enjoy, and the fact that the bars were scarce and expensive only added to the craze.
Before long, other chocolate makers around the world, both big and small, began to make their own versions. And since recipes aren’t protected by copyright laws and geographical names of foods can’t be trademarked, the race for consumers’ dollars went into high gear. Global pistachio markets have been hit by soaring demand. Restaurants across the globe are adding these flavors to their menus, in shakes, drinks, pastries, and all sorts of desserts. People just can’t get enough of this sweet, creamy, crunchy phenomenon.
And believe me, it’s as much about the crunch as it is the flavor. That distinctive crunch is thanks to the addition of kataifi, similar to shredded phyllo dough. It’s made on machines that extrude tiny streams of liquid batter into long strands, almost hairlike. In this form, it can be wrapped, layered, and baked in all sorts of desserts. But for the form used in Dubai-style chocolate bars, it’s cut into tiny pieces and roasted. Roasted kataifi doesn’t lose its texture when mixed into the pistachio cream. And when combined with the snap of rich chocolate and the sweet creaminess of the pistachio cream, you have a decadent treat.
My biggest takeaway from this viral sensation is that it all started with a mom fulfilling a pregnancy craving. Her chosen ingredients had been around for ages, but not in that particular combination. What other culinary delights are awaiting discovery?
Recently, I had my first Dubai-style chocolate-inspired dessert while eating out with family. It was basically a strawberry parfait, layered with ample amounts of kataifi-filled pistachio cream and Nutella, along with chopped pistachios. It was delicious, but so rich that between us all we couldn’t finish it. A lucky someone got to take the rest home, but at the time, I was already planning on how I would do it differently.
And that is what I’m going to share with you now, ways to utilize these flavors and ingredients at home, with a Dubai-style Chocolate Strawberry Parfait. I chose to layer the traditional Dubai-style ingredients, along with fresh strawberries and mascarpone whipped cream, to cut down on the richness and make it an easier-to-enjoy dessert.
The first way to do it is to stick with the original as much as possible. And where I live in East Tennessee, some of these ingredients are nearly impossible to find locally. For pistachio cream, you can order it as is or with the kataifi already added. Expect to pay around $10 for a small 8-ounce container. And depending on how generous you want to be, that might only be enough for two or three desserts. Ouch!
Kataifi can be bought in different forms, and I ordered mine cut and roasted. It’s also expensive, around $9 for about 2 cups. Ouch again.
Even if you find these ingredients locally (check out a local Indian grocery if you have one), you’re still going to pay top dollar. These are speciality items, at least for now. I remember as a kid (that was a long time ago), Nutella was nowhere to be seen. Now it’s everywhere. So there is hope these ingredients will follow suit.
If you’re like me and a bit frugal, you’ll be looking for alternatives if you want to make these more than once. For kataifi, I’ve tried finely cutting and chopping sheets of thawed phyllo dough and toasting them for a few minutes in a skillet, with a little non-stick spray. That works OK, but the crunch is less. I’ve heard of people toasting Shredded Wheat cereal in the same manner. The easiest option by far is to use thin Asian-style chow mein noodles, which are much skinnier than regular ones. If you chop them slightly, they aren’t that much bigger than kataifi, have a great crunch, and are inexpensive.
The pistachio cream is harder to substitute. Honestly, I think you’ll do just as well to use roasted and chopped pistachios as you layer your parfait, and don’t worry about the pistachio cream. If you want more pistachio flavor, pistachio ice cream or instant pistachio pudding are easy to find. I did try my own concoction by grinding pistachios in a blender and adding them to some almond butter, along with sweeteners and other things, but it was not great. No harm in trying!
There are no rules for how you put a parfait together. I used both a hazelnut spread and a thinner chocolate ganache for my versions, along with the mascarpone whipped cream, kataifi, chopped pistachios, fresh berries, and strategic amounts of my precious pistachio cream. For a better visual presentation, spread ingredients along the sides of the glass. To rim a glass, chill it first, then dip the edge in melted chocolate and roll into chopped pistachios, placing it back in the fridge to set.