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Often dubbed the queen of Arab sweets, kunāfah or konafa is rather simple to prepare — that is if all the ingredients are available. The process starts with kunāfah dough, which is soaked with butter or sometimes ghee (clarified butter) and divided in half. The first half is then spread on a round-shaped tin to cover the bottom and the sides. Since there are two ways to serve kunāfah — inverted or straight from the pan — the topping made from chopped pistachios or other nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, is placed on either top or the bottom of the kunāfah. The filling for the kunāfah is made from a mixture of cheese, or cream, and sugar. The best options are akkawi or nabuleh, mild Middle-Eastern soft cheeses, or regular heavy cream. The cheese/cream mixture is distributed evenly over the first half of the dough, covered with another half of the dough, and baked in a pre-heated oven. If the kunāfah is served straight from the baking pan,... Read more
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Written by the famous, Egyptian-born cookbook author Claudia Roden, this recipe was adapted from her The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, one of the many she wrote on the subject. In this variant, the filling is made with heavy cream, milk, sugar, and rice flour. Claudia Roden suggests using only half of the prepared sugar syrup for drizzling the kunāfah and serving the other half to the guests who like their kunāfah extra juicy.
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The following recipe shows how to make the kunāfah with ricotta cheese. Also, this recipe calls for more cheese than usual, and the sweetness can be adjusted to taste by using the amount of syrup to your liking. If you cannot find special kunāfah dough, substitute it with kataifi pastry, available in most oriental food stores.
PREP 20min
COOK 1h 5min
RESTING 1h
READY IN 2h 25min
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In this variant, the filling is made from a combination of pistachios, walnuts or almonds, which can be combined to taste. We advise not to keep the kunāfah in the fridge because the pastry will go from juicy to soggy.
225g (8 oz) mixed nuts (pistachios, walnuts, or almonds), coarsely chopped
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
375g (13 oz) kunāfah
250g (8.8 oz) unsalted butter or ghee
SYRUP
225g (8 oz) sugar
240 ml (1 cup) water
juice of 1/2 lemon
3-4 drops vanilla extract
Start the preparation by making the syrup. In a small pan, boil sugar, water, and lemon juice, then continue simmering for 10 minutes. The syrups should reduce and become thick. Cool for 5 minutes, and add vanilla essence.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. In a bowl, combine the nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves.
Pour the melted butter over the kunāfah dough you separated with your fingers.
Put half of the pastry in a 25cm (10-inch) round pan. Cover with nut filling and place the remaining pastry on top. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the top.
Bake for 60-65 minutes until the top reaches a golden hue. Drizzle with sugar syrup and leave to cool slightly.
Invert on a serving plate, cut, and serve.
4.9
Rate It
Written by the famous, Egyptian-born cookbook author Claudia Roden, this recipe was adapted from her The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, one of the many she wrote on the subject. In this variant, the filling is made with heavy cream, milk, sugar, and rice flour. Claudia Roden suggests using only half of the prepared sugar syrup for drizzling the kunāfah and serving the other half to the guests who like their kunāfah extra juicy.
4.9
Rate It
The following recipe shows how to make the kunāfah with ricotta cheese. Also, this recipe calls for more cheese than usual, and the sweetness can be adjusted to taste by using the amount of syrup to your liking. If you cannot find special kunāfah dough, substitute it with kataifi pastry, available in most oriental food stores.
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