Jun 23, 20202 min read

Kunafah

Kunafa

Kunafa is a well known Arabic dessert . It’s a sugar syrup soaked cheese pastry traditionally made from extra thin noodles of semolina flour . The Katafi we use in the recipe is a shredded phyllo dough that crisps up well and drinks in the heavy syrup much like a Baklava.A rose and Lemon water scented sugar syrup sweetens and perfumes this Middle Eastern favorite. It’s served with lots of crushed pistachios and extra sugar syrup for those who want it sweety.

The Kunafa dough or Katafi is usually found in the freezer section of supermarkets in the Arab world.U can use the thin cornflour vermicelli you use for the Faloodas If you can’t get hold of the Kunafa dough.

Typically cheese Kunafas are filled with Arabic cheeses with melting qualities like Nabulsi or Akkawi cheese.Today I am making it with cream cheese and mozzarella cheese since these cheeses are readily available for all.

Kunafa Recipe

1.Kunafa Dough-250 gm

Unsalted Butter-100 gm

Defrost the dough and shred it into small using a scissors.Melt the butter and rub it into the dough with your hands.Spread a tbsp of the butter to the base and sides of the cake pan so that it easily comes off the pan once it’s baked.

Place half of the buttered dough into the base and sides of the cake pan and spread it evenly without gaps.Now press it firmly with your hands or the back of a bowl.

2.For the Cream Cheese filling

Milk-1 1/2 cup

Sugar-1/4 cup

Cornflour-3 tsp

All purpose flour-2 tsp

In a pan put all the above ingredients and stir in till the flours are well mixed.Now heat this on medium heat till it starts to thicken.

3.Cream cheese cubes-7 pieces

(Make sure you use unsalted cheese for this.)

Mozzarella cheese grated-1/2-3/4 cup (use accordingly as you wish)

Pistachios-1/4 cup( crush this in the mixie)

Reduce the heat and add the cheese cubes and gently mix in so that there is no lumps.Once this mixture thickens,off the stove and allow it to cool a little bit before

pouring it over the kunafa dough .

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and few crushed pistachios over this and gently press into the filling.Now sprinkle the remaining buttered dough carefully over this without gaps.Gently press this and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 25-35 minutes until top is well browned and crispy..Meanwhile make the sugar syrup.

4.For the Sugar Syrup

Sugar-1 1/2 cup

Water-1 cup

Lime juice-2 tsp

Rose water-1 tbsp

In a pan put all the above ingredients except rose water.Bring this to boil.Simmer this for 3-5 minutes.Add the rose water and stir in.

Once the Kunafa is well baked,pour this hot sugar syrup as required to soak it completely.Now Decorate with the crushed pistachios and cut this serve while it’s still hot.

The above pictures I used store bought Kunafah dough and was baked in oven

Note:U can make this on stove top by assembling it on a nonstick pan and cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until it’s golden on the base and then carefully flip it onto another nonstick pan and cook it for another 5 minutes till lightly golden on the other side too.

The below pictures I used homemade Kunafah dough and was made on stove top.