{"title":"Dates","description":"\u003cp\u003eDates are the fruit of the date palm, grown across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. Soft dates are eaten fresh from the box, stuffed with nuts, blended into milkshakes and baked into date and walnut loaf, sticky toffee pudding and maamoul. Dry dates, called chuhara or kharek, are dates dried until hard and wrinkled, with a deep caramel sweetness. They are sliced into sheer khurma, the vermicelli and milk dessert of Eid, simmered in milk in winter, and offered at Hindu and Sikh weddings and pujas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Muslim homes, dates are traditionally the first thing eaten to open the fast at iftar during Ramadan, and a box is always in the cupboard through the month. Pitted dates save time for baking and cooking, and they chop cleanly for date chutney, energy balls and date syrup. Dry dates need soaking or slow cooking to soften; slice them thin with a sharp knife or soak them in warm milk overnight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoft dates keep best in a sealed container in the fridge, where they stay moist for months. Dry dates keep in a cool cupboard in an airtight jar. See the wider \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/dried-fruit\"\u003edried fruit\u003c\/a\u003e range, including \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/raisins-and-sultanas\"\u003eraisins and sultanas\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/dried-apricots\"\u003edried apricots\u003c\/a\u003e, and for sheer khurma add vermicelli, or make a date chutney with tamarind.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"heera-dry-dates-250g","title":"Heera Dry Dates 250g","description":"\u003cp\u003eHeera Dry Dates are chhuhara, or kharek: whole dates dried hard until they are firm, wrinkled and deep brown, with the stone still in. They are far drier than soft eating dates and have a concentrated toffee sweetness. In Indian homes they are a festival and wedding staple, cooked into milk sweets and handed out as prasad. This 250g bag is packed in the UK by P\u0026amp;B Foods.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to use it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoak the dates in warm milk or water for a few hours, or overnight, until they soften enough to slit and stone. Chop them into kheer, sheer khurma or halwa, where they plump up and add chewy sweetness. For a simple winter drink, simmer two or three chopped chhuhara in a mug of milk for ten minutes and add a pinch of saffron or cardamom. Hard dates can also be ground with nuts for energy ladoos during fasting days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGood to know\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhole dried dates with the stone in\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoak before chopping or cooking\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSuitable for vegetarians\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePacked in the UK, 250g bag\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdd some \u003ca href=\"\/products\/heera-dry-apricots-250g\"\u003eHeera Dry Apricots 250g\u003c\/a\u003e to the tray, or browse all our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/dates\"\u003edates\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Heera","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55241993748819,"sku":null,"price":2.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1101\/7433\/9411\/files\/heera-dry-dates-250g-front.png?v=1791369024"},{"product_id":"fudco-dry-dates-375g","title":"Fudco Dry Dates 375g","description":"\u003cp\u003eFudco Dry Dates are whole chuhara, also spelt chowra or chhuara: dates dried hard on the palm until wrinkled and deep brown, sold with their stones in. They come from Pakistan in a 375g bag. Chuhara keep for months and are a traditional part of Indian festive cooking, gifting and puja offerings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to use it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoak the dates in warm milk or water for a few hours until they soften, then remove the stones. Simmer chopped chuhara in milk with sugar and cardamom for a warming drink, or grind the soaked flesh with nuts for dry fruit ladoo and barfi. Thin slices go into panjiri, gond ladoo and kheer, and whole chuhara are a common offering in Navratri puja thalis and Diwali gift trays alongside makhana and mishri.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGood to know\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhole dry dates with stones\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingle ingredient: dates\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e7.1g fibre per 100g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduct of Pakistan, 375g bag\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompare with \u003ca href=\"\/products\/heera-dry-dates-250g\"\u003eHeera Dry Dates 250g\u003c\/a\u003e, or browse all our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/dates\"\u003edates\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fudco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55245123223891,"sku":null,"price":4.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1101\/7433\/9411\/files\/fudco-dry-dates-375g-front.png?v=1791381883"},{"product_id":"fudco-pitted-dates-300g","title":"Fudco Pitted Dates 300g","description":"\u003cp\u003eFudco Pitted Dates are soft dried dates from Pakistan with the stones already removed, packed in a 300g bag. Dates are a natural sweetener in Indian kitchens and a common food on fasting days, so a pitted pack saves time when you are chopping them into sweets or eating a few to break a vrat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to use it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEat them as they are, or stuff each date with an almond or walnut half for a simple festive plate. For a no-cook Diwali sweet, chop the dates finely, warm them in a pan with a teaspoon of ghee until they soften into a paste, stir in chopped nuts and roll into a log, then chill and slice. Blend a few with cold milk and cardamom for a quick date shake, or simmer chopped dates into kheer in place of some of the sugar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGood to know\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStones removed, ready to eat or chop\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e7.5g fibre per 100g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCountry of origin: Pakistan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSome pips may remain despite careful sorting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor whole dry dates see \u003ca href=\"\/products\/heera-dry-dates-250g\"\u003eHeera Dry Dates 250g\u003c\/a\u003e, or browse all our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/dates\"\u003edates\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fudco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55245194330451,"sku":null,"price":2.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1101\/7433\/9411\/files\/fudco-pitted-dates-300g-front.png?v=1791382108"}],"url":"https:\/\/chandrastores.co.uk\/collections\/dates.oembed","provider":"Chandra Stores","version":"1.0","type":"link"}