Kunafa
Palestine and the Levant's most celebrated dessert — shredded kataifi (kadayif) pastry or semolina crust filled with stringy sweet cheese (akkawi or mozzarella), soaked in fragrant orange blossom sugar syrup. Best at Nablus's famous kunaferies.
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Medium
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min
Ingredients
Method
Syrup: combine sugar, water and lemon juice. Boil for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Add orange blossom and rose water. Cool to room temperature — the syrup must be cool when the hot kunafa comes out of the oven.
About 5 min
Shred the kataifi pastry with your hands to loosen the strands. Pour melted butter over and toss thoroughly until every strand is coated.
About 11 min
Press half the buttered kataifi into the base of a 32 cm round baking dish or cast iron skillet, pressing firmly and evenly.
About 11 min
Mix akkawi/mozzarella and ricotta together. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the kataifi base, leaving a 1 cm border.
About 11 min
Top with the remaining kataifi, pressing down firmly. The top layer should be even and compact.
About 11 min
Bake at 200°C/400°F for 30–35 minutes until the top is deeply golden. Immediately invert onto a serving platter. Pour the cool syrup over the hot kunafa. It will sizzle and absorb. Garnish generously with ground pistachio. Serve immediately — kunafa waits for nobody.
About 3 min
Nutrition per serving (estimate)
- Calories
- 580
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 42 g
- Sodium
- 480 mg
Contains: dairy, nuts
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Recipe by Boon Tools.