Kunafa with nuts; fast and easy recipe.
Kunafa is a popular Ramadan dessert. Sugary desserts such as Kunafa and Katayef are the stars of Egyptian table. During fasting, the body thrives for sugars, so Ramadan desserts and drinks are sugary and tasty.
Kunafa is popular in all Arab countries, but every country has its unique Kunafa preparation and filling. For example, In Syria, Palestine and Lebanon, they love to fill it with cream and cheese. However, in Egypt, we fill it with nuts and it is considered the simplest and the easiest recipe. In my opinion, I think that it is the tastiest one. Imagine this fluffy sugary texture of Kunafa mixed with raisin and pistachio, it is the real meaning of Wow.
Kunafa history dates back for about one thousand year. It is believed that it is originated in Egypt then was passed to other Arab countries through trade. Kunafa was first made for kings and princes. It is though that it was made first for the prince Mouawya "prince of Omawyeen". When he complained from hunger during fasting, his doctors advised him with Kunafa.
Kunafa also has a reputation for being difficult to make and many Egyptians take the easy way by purchasing it.
In this blog, I am giving you a simple Kunafa recipe without any fancy steps or ingredients and at the same time you will enjoy its fluffy amazing taste. Let's go for the recipe;
Cooking time: 55 min.
Ingredients:
For Kunafa: • 250 gm of shredded phyllo dough; thin sheets of unleavened flour dough (Kunafa hair). • ½ cup ghee. For filling: • Shredded coconut, raisin and minced peanuts or pistachio. For syrup: • 1 cup water. • 1 cup sugar. • 1 lemon juice. • 1 tablespoon honey.
Preparation: We will start by syrup: • In a deep pan, add water, sugar and lemon juice and stir them for 1 min. • Put the pan over medium high heat for 7 min and stir once again until it thickens “place a drop of the syrup on the table, if it is holding itself and didn’t spread, it is okay”. • Remove the syrup to cool down, then add the honey and stir. For Kunafa: • Put the dough in freezer for 1 hr. to be loosen easily. • Melt the ghee over low heat. • In a large mixing bowl, loose the dough with your hand. • Pour the melted ghee little by little and mix them with your hand until you feel that all dough is mixed with ghee. • Preheat oven over 240°c. • In a small non-stick sheet “20×17 cm”, place the half of Kunafa and pat down well with your hand “it is an important step”. • Place the nut mixture then place the other half of Kunafa and pat down very well again. • Using a spoon, spread melted ghee over the surface. • Put the sheet in the oven for 25 min or until the surface is gold. • Remove the Kunafa from oven then pour the syrup immediately and let it cool down.
Try this easy amazing recipe for Kunafa and give me your feedback in comments.
