Kunafa is a middle eastern dessert with a creamy, cheesy and rich taste. It is made with a thin thread-like dough which sandwiches a cream and cheesy filling. It is finally soaked in sugar syrup and served hot with a garnish of pistachios.
Kunafa
May 24, 2020
: 5
: 2 hr
: 1 hr
: 3 hr
: Medium
Creamy and melt in your mouth Arabic dessert
Ingredients
- For Kunafa Dough Flour: 2 cups
- For Cream filling Full fat milk: 1.5 cups
- For Sugar syrup Sugar: 1/2 cup
- To Assemble Butter: 2 tbsp
Corn flour: 1 cup
Water: 2 cups
Oil: 4 tbsp
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Corn flour: 1 tbsp
Vanilla: 1/2 tsp
Cream cheese: 5 tbsp
Fresh cream: 5 tbsp
Water: 1/2 cup
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick: 1
Directions
- Step 1 To make the Kunafa dough, In a bowl mix the flour, cornflour, water and oil to make loose flowing batter.
- Step 2 Pour the batter in a plastic disposable water bottle. Prick a hole in the cap of the bottle using a pin ( to get a thread like batter)
- Step 3 Pour the batter on a hot nonstick pan such that they don’t overlap (I did spirals). Remove the threads of kunafa dough as soon as they leave from the pan (Do not cook the dough for long).
- Step 4 Repeat this process to make Kunafa dough from the entire batter.
- Step 5 Kunafa Dough is ready!
- Step 6 For the filling, In a saucepan, boil together with the full-fat milk, sugar, cornflour and vanilla till it forms a thick paste.
- Step 7 Once the thick milk paste cools down, blend it along with the fresh cream and cream cheese in a blender to get a smooth cream filling.
- Step 8 The filling is ready!!
- Step 9 To assemble the Kunafa, In a bowl, pull apart the Kunafa dough threads into small pieces and incorporate them well with the butter.
- Step 10 In a slightly deep dish, grease the bottom well with some butter.
- Step 11 Add half of the buttered Kunafa dough into the dish and press it down firmly with the bottom of a cup to tightly pack the dough into the base of the dish.
- Step 12 Add some grated mozzarella cheese and the cream filling carefully into the centre of the Kunafa. (avoid putting the filling in the edges of the Kunafa)
- Step 13 Add the remaining half of the Kunafa dough on top of the filling. ( Do not press down too much or the cream filling may come out).
- Step 14 Cook the Kunafa on medium heat. Check if the side has browned enough and then turn it over to brown the other side.
- Step 15 Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup. In a saucepan boil the sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Once it comes to a boil, simmer and cook for a minute. Finally, add in the lemon juice. Sugar syrup is ready.
- Step 16 Once the Kunafa has cooked well and become golden brown on both sides, take it off the heat and pour the sugar syrup all over the kunafa.
- Step 17 Garnish with some crushed pistachios and serve the Kunafa hot.
