Make Kunafa
Kunafa is an Arabic dish, prepared for the month of Ramadan, a period of fasting for those of the Islamic faith. During Ramadan, those who participate do fast throughout the day, and are only allowed to eat during non-daylight hours. The story of Kunafa begins when:”it was introduced by a physician who saw how some princes had a hard time fasting because of their appetite. He created the dish and instructed the princes to eat a great amount of it just before dawn, and as a result they were never hungry during the day” (Al-Ahram, 2004). Kunafa is a sweet dessert made from spun shredded wheat and topped with raisins, nuts, and cream. In different variations of this dish, the cream is replaced by mozzarella or by cream cheese and at times cinnamon is added. The exact ingredients differ depending on which Arabic region it comes from. This particular Kunafa contains nuts and is from Egypt.
Contents
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 lb of shredded Phyllo Dough; thin sheets of unleavened flour dough.
- ½ lb of butter
- 2 teaspoons of oil
- 2 cups of any chopped mixed nuts
For the syrup:
- 1 ½ cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- ½ of a lemon
Steps
- To make the syrup: Put 1 ½ cup of water in a deep pan
- Add ½ of a squeezed lemon
- 1 ½ cup of sugar
- Put the liquid on the stove; on medium heat
- Stir for 10 minutes
- Let it simmer until thickened
- To Make the Dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Put the Kunafa Dough in a mixing bowl
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then pour it on the dough. Mix the butter and the dough well until it is all absorbed.
- Take a baking pan and add a few oil drops on the bottom so the dough does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Take half the dough that you mixed the butter with and place it in pan.
- Using both hands, pat down the dough well until you can't see the bottom of the pan. Place mixed nuts on top of the Kunafa dough; cheese can also be added.
- Cover the nuts with the other half of the dough.
- Pat down very well.
- Place into oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the Kunafa becomes a golden color.
- Remove the Kunafa from the oven and pour the syrup on top of it evenly
- Set aside for 10 minutes to cool
- Serve it warm.
Tips
- For the dough: Do not over bake the dough. You should not bake it for more than 30 minutes. You want it to be a nice golden color. That is how you know it is ready.
- To all first timers: the preparation may take some practice, but at the end, it is worth it.
- For the syrup: Make sure to prepare the syrup first because syrup goes from a liquid to a thicker form. It should be thick when poured on the dough.
- For the dough, make sure to take the phyllo in your hands and rub it together to get it singled out.
Warnings
- When preparing the syrup make sure that the mix is not left alone. When sugar is left alone it will start burning, ruining your pot (Warah).
- Always remember to put oil in the pan before putting the dough in it, or else it will get stuck to the pan and the bottom of the dough will come out burnt.
- When taking the dish out of the oven, be careful it is going to be hot.
Things You'll Need
- Depending on the shape you want your Kunafa to be, use a square pan, a circle pan or a rectangle pan, or just an aluminum disposable baking pan. Holly S. Warah recommended using a 15-inch deep-dish pizza pan because it is bigger and the pastry comes out thicker and crunchier (2012).
- If you decide to use a pan, you will need a serving tray that is the same shape and size as the baking pan, or slightly larger.
- A pan to make the syrup.
- Two bowls, one to mix the Kunafa and the other for the butter.
- A knife to cut the lemon.
- A spoon to stir the syrup. Your hand will be used to mix the dough in the bowl.
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- Al-Ahram Organization. “Sweet Tooth Alert.” Al-Ahram Weekly, 2012. Web. March 25, 2012.
- "Kunafa Recipe - How to Make Kunafa." Arabic Food Recipes. 1 Dec. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2012
- Warah, Holly S. "Arabic Zeal." » Kunafa. 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.
