Like most of seeds, black cumin seeds (black seeds, qizha, or nigella seeds) have many health benefits. They are rich of unsaturated important fatty acids, antioxidant, powerful immune booster, and also they improve overall digestion and maintain normal blood pressure. As a result of all this, black cumin seeds are used in different cuisines especially the eastern ones as seasoning spices for salads, soups, and bread…
Aside from using black cumin seeds (as is without grinding) for seasoning, they also can be used to make black cumin (qizha) paste exactly like extracting tahini from sesame seeds. In Palestine, the best locally made qizha paste comes from Nablus. This thick paste is made from grinding both black cumin and sesame seeds and it can be found in middle-east food stores.
In spite of the bitter taste of black cumin paste (qizha paste), old Palestinians managed to create a sweet treat out of it by adding sugar, oil and roasted flour to the paste and baking them all to get at the end a tasty and original dessert pie. And here I’m posting how exactly to make this extremely healthy and delicious black cumin pie.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil (substitute: 1/2 cup vegetable oil)
- 1/2 cup black cumin (qizha) paste (made of ground black cumin and sesame seeds)
- Pinch of walnut, crushed (optional)
- Pinch of almond, peeled & cut to halves.
- 3/4 cup sugar syrup (to make it: combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a saucepan, boil & stir until sugar is dissolved & syrup is slightly thickened. Allow to cool before using).
Directions:
In a large saucepan, roast flour over medium heat and stir frequently until it turns lightly gold (this usually takes about 10 minutes). Leave aside to cool slightly. And then add sugar, olive oil, black cumin (qizha) paste.
Rub the mixture using both hands and knead the dough while adding ¾ cup of water gradually until dough is smooth and well mixed. Add walnuts and mix them with the dough. Lay the dough into the ovenproof pan. Using a knife, cut the dough into small square shaped treats, garnish with almond (I add one almond to each piece).
Place the pan in the lower level of the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until it gets crispy from the bottom then roast the top for 5 to 10 minutes. Place out of the oven, add sugar syrup over the cooked pie and let cool before serving.
Qizha pie is the jewel of the crown of the Palestinian desserts! I wish that more people get to know this dish.
I wonder how would you describe knafeh then.. :)
Ezt a növényt nevezik úgy is, hogy borzaskata? Eddig azt hittem, ez kerti virág, éppen készülök vetni a kertemben. Nagymamám kedvenc virága volt, mindig tele szórta fekete magjaival a kertet, nem is kellett vetni..
Thank you Margo for your comment. It’s very nice to see a comment in Hungarian in my blog :)
Yes, “borzaskata” is the same flower of nigella seeds or black cumin seeds..
It’s interesting to know that its considered as a flower garden in your region. It would be great if you could share some photos of your garden flowers with us.. In Palestine its planted only for culinary purposes.
This sounds good – I have never heard of it – I assume it is a dessert, from the title I was expecting a savory dish! Do you think a savory version is possible?
Yes it’s a dessert. Qizha (black cumin paste) has a strong bitter taste, so it needs to be mixed with sugar in order to have a more balanced flavor.
The final result of combining qizha with sugar, olive oil, and roasted flour is really interesting. You should give it a go.. Thanks for stopping by!
I got persuaded into making this with my partner Adam, I’m so glad he did because its lovely! Unusual but yummy!! Thank you for sharing and thanks for the pictures too as we used them for reference. Our paste was a lot thicker than yours so we got a bit worried but it worked out in the end. :)
I’m glad that you like it! :) Yes the recipe is not very common even here.
Thickness of dough depends on the thickness of qizha paste which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
I usually have qizha pie first thing in the morning with a glass of cold milk..
Hello Enam, can I make qizha on my own if I have seeds and tahina? Greetings, Ewa.
Sorry for the very late reply! It took me some time to try it out myself.
Best results came from grinding up the black seeds and using them without tahini for this recipe. 1 cup of grinned black seeds instead of 1 cup of black seed paste gives almost the same taste. The flavor of black seeds is more obvious which is great! I like it even more :)
As for preparing qizha paste (black seeds and tahini) in home, apparently It’s not very applicable.
What a beautiful blog and post. Can’t wait to try this!!
Thanks Aly for your comment! Tell me how it goes..
thank you its very nice i well try to do it
You’re most welcome! :)
Great recipe! Can i have your permission to include the recipe in the second edition of this black seed book i’m editing?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EIR17YY
Yes sure you can. Looking forward to see my recipe in the new edition of the book!
Best wishes.
Done! Have included a credit back to this blog too!
Hello Eman,
I really like your blog and I adore the photographs! Keep up the good work! I am mustering my courage to try to make Qizha. It sounds delightful and I so want to make it, and to make it at the very least palatable! I think I shall start with one of your other dishes that are somewhat closer to what I am used to making, i.e.Malfouf or couscous dishes.
Cheers
Thank you Alice for the encouraging comment.
I think you will like Qizha even if you decided to start with it. It’s hard not to!
I’d love to hear back your feedback..
Dear Eman,
I have always heard of Qizha but never really knew what it was (I am part Palestinian and part Brazilian-American)…I made this, the first recipe from your site and it came out wonderful! Thank you so much for including this one on your blog. It is well worth a try if you like nigella seeds …the texture is so rich and buttery smooth and the flavor is very sophisticated. I added sesame seeds to my mix to break up the black color a bit…it actually looked nicer than I expected as well. Just a note to watch the clock as its hard to tell if its “golden” enough. Look forward to more old world recipes from the Holy Land. God bless Palestine!
Thanks Lina for your comment!
I’m really glad that you finally have tried Qizha and liked it. I wouldn’t have described it any better than you have done.
I see that you’re referring to IRPC as your website. Working with them? I’m a big fan of this initiative!
This dessert brings back precious childhood memories. I have been trying to make it, but unfortunately I cannot find the paste anywhere here. I live in the Dallas Fort worth Area. I might ask my family to send me some:) and for anyone who hasn’t tried it i really encourage you to try it.
Nothing like that bag coming from homeland filled with all tasty and authentic stuff. I hope that it will be coming to your door soon! :)
As a substitute for Qizha paste, you can use 1 cup of grinned black seeds instead of 1 cup of the paste, it gives almost the same taste but different texture and color.
so what other uses/recipes do you have for qizha paste and is the dough supposed to rise at all?
Yeast is not used in the recipe so the dough doesn’t rise at all.
Qizha paste has medical uses. It can be mixed with honey for throat infection and pain, or boiled with water as a hot drink for indigestion problems.
YUM YUM I JUST BAKE IT THAAAAAAANKS IT IS THE MOST EASIEST RECEIPT .
:)
Hello, Eman! Thank you for the wonderful recipes that you post here. I would like to ask you something: I heard that in Palestine, the crushed seeds of Nigella Sativa mixed with honey are also used as a treatment for mail fertility? Do you know anything about this? Thank you very much!
Thank you Laura for your message.
Yes it’s common here to mix the paste of black seed with honey. It’s usually made to soothe sore throat or to supress caugh. One spoon, couple of times during the day. Unfortunately I’ve never heard that its used to do anything with fertlity. However, I just read an articles (in Arabic) that suggests that it might enhance fertility.
Thanks a lot for letting me know the qizha pie recipe! I’ve translated it in Italian and published it on my blog, of course making reference to Kitchen of Palestine.
Besides, I also have written how to make qizha at home! It’s easy, I make tahini at home and it’s almost the same, just seeds change :)
ciao from Italy!
Ciao Eleanor :)
I’m so glad to see qizha pie recipe made it to your blog. It’s an authentic recipe and not everyone knows it even here.
I just came from Italy. It was a short visit but I had a great time. Everything was amazing; the country, the people and definitely the FOOD :)))
As-salamu-alaikum,
I would like to cook this cake. But I cannot find black cumin paste. What could I use instead of it? Do you have some ideas?
Thank you for your support in advance.
Best regards and wassalam
Mahdiya
Wa-alaykum-issalam :)
As a substitute for Qizha paste, you can use 1 cup of grinned black seeds instead of 1 cup of the paste, it gives almost the same taste but different texture and color.
I hope it’s easy to find black cumin seeds where you live.
Enjoy cooking!
Hello and thank you for this beautiful blog! I’ve had it bookmarked for awhile but I just found this recipe. My late tata (who was from Haifa) used to make it – the only one in the family who did. I got the recipe from her indirectly and have made it a few times myself. Everytime came out just like hers.
Since I like comparing recipes, I’ve searched for it online but never found it. I figured maybe it was one of her originals – but it’s not! This is the first time I’ve seen this recipe elsewhere.
Her recipe is different in a couple ways:
1. There’s a walnut/sugar middle layer (the recipe for the dough is essentially doubled).
2. Instead of roasting the flour, she heated the (vegetable) oil, then poured that oil over the flour. My assumption was that the heating would help it absorb into the flour. On the other hand, roasting the flour probably imparts a nice, nutty flavor to the dough.
3. Instead of buying paste, she made it by roasting and grinding nigella seeds, then adding some water to make a paste. It’s easy to over-roast the seeds, so add some barley or pignoli nuts with them as a visual indicator. Basically, roast until very fragrant – but don’t burn them! Then grind them in a clean coffee grinder.
For those of you in the States looking to buy them, black cumin seeds are more commonly called nigella seeds and can be found either online (Amazon), or at your local Oriental or Indian grocer. The ratio of roast seed to water is 1:1. For the recipe here, I would use 1/2 cup of each.
Your pictures of the dough look perfect. Makes me want to make it again.
Cheers!
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I am so happy to have found this recipe in your blog Eman. We do not make this at home but I’ve tried it at a friends home and loved it. I will share this recipe with my mom and i know she’ll be very excited to try it and she loves it too.
Eman, can i make the qizha paste at home? i am not sure where to get it from.
Where do you live? It’s everywhere in Palestine and Jordan.. You also can find it online (http://www.melburyandappleton.co.uk/alhathnawi-black-seed-paste—250g-11495-p.asp).
As a substitute to qizha paste, you can simply grind black seeds and using them without tahini for this recipe. 1 cup of grinned black seeds instead of 1 cup of black seed paste gives almost the same taste.
هلأ سؤال انا ما عندي ئزحه مطحونيه!؟
استعميل الحبات و اطحنهن ع المطحنيه!! و إزا ايه عادي إعجن العجينه بالعجانة او ما بتحتاج …رح اعملها اليوم إن شاء الله
يسلمو ايديكي ♡
مابعرف ازا عملتيها وله لسه، اه حب مطحون بمشي حاله بس بتكون العجينة ناشفة شوي.. ماعمري عملتها عالعجانة بس بتخيل تكون احسن و اريح..
ان شاءالله تعجبك و صحتين :))
hi eman,
sounds delicious. at what temperature do you set the oven?
also, do you have any ideas for savory recipes using the qizha paste?
great site
thanks
Hi Judith,
I set the temperature on 180 C.
Qizha (black cumin paste) has a strong bitter taste, so it needs to be mixed with sugar (or a sweet flavor ) in order to have a more balanced flavor. So no, I can’t think of savory recipe using qizha paste.
If you get creative using it, please let me know :)
hi eman
thanks for your response.
i guessed it would be 180 C and the result was quite a success.
i plan to experiment with savory recipes using qizha paste and will definitely let you know how they work out.
all the best
This cake is so good…at first I thought I wudnt like it since d black seed have a strong taste…my friend was buying it in a Palestinian bazaar n I since d lady dat was selling was giving sample n wow it was totally delicious…I will try to make it n try your recipe.
Where , please tell me where to buy izha paste ???
Can any one tell me where to buy this qizha [black cumin seed ] paste ???????
Hi Hasan,
where do you live? I found this online: http://www.yaffa.co.uk/product_p/hbp.htm
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Hi Eman,
Thanks for the recipe. Let me start by saying I am new to “this” kind of ethnic cooking, but I’m going to try this recipe. :-)
I am new to using Black seed oil paste. After recently reading the health benefits of Black Seed Oil, I went out in search of the oil and purchased black seed oil paste in addition to the oil. I bought the paste for my mom to use on her legs as she suffers from an autoimmune skin condition that causes her legs to darken with hopes the healthy oils in the paste will cause healing. I read one of your post here where you stated the paste can be used to make a tea. Is this the best way to use the paste for medicinal reasons, or do you have other medicinal uses.
Thank you,
Patty
yummy i want to taste it <3
My grandmother used to make izzha in Haifa and later in Lebanon and later in SC, USA.
I was so happy to find your recipe for quizha so I can make
it too.
I found the cuman seeds (nigella seeds) online from
Amazon and from a spice shop on line “www.worldspice.com”.
I plan to make it real soon following your recipe.
Thank you so much.
Just want to say that I love the photos and will deffo be giving the recipe a go! Thanks for sharing :)
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Where do you buy qizha
Hi Eman, what size baking dish di you use?
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Assalamu alaikum sister,
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