Delicious Arabic Sweet Kunafa (Knafeh)
An iconic Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded phyllo dough, a sweet cheese filling, and soaked in a fragrant syrup.
50 minTime
HardDifficulty
10 servingsServings
ArabicCuisine
Vegetarian
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Ingredients
- Shredded kunafa dough500 g
- Ghee or melted butter1 cup
- Akkawi or mozzarella cheese2 cups
- Sugar for syrup1.5 cups
- Water for syrup1 cup
- Rose water1 tsp
- Crushed pistachios0.5 cup
Instructions
- First, make the syrup by boiling sugar, water, and a squeeze of lemon. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in rose water and cool.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
- In a large bowl, work the ghee into the kunafa dough with your hands until well coated.
- Press half of the dough into the bottom of a round pan.
- Spread the cheese evenly over the dough.
- Top with the remaining half of the kunafa dough and press down firmly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown.
- Immediately after removing from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over the hot kunafa.
- Let it soak for a few minutes, then garnish with pistachios. Serve warm.
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