Kunafa (Middle Eastern cheese and shredded pastry dessert with syrup)

Kunafa (knafeh) is one of the best-loved desserts of the Middle East: crisp, golden strands of pastry over melted, stretchy, slightly salty cheese, topped with fragrant rose-water syrup. The contrast of salty and sweet, crisp and stretchy is unforgettable.

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Method

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1. For the syrup boil the sugar, water and lemon juice for 8–10 minutes until slightly thick; add the rose water and let it cool. ⏱ Timer: 8 min
2. Chop the kataifi finely or pull it apart by hand and mix it thoroughly with the melted butter so every strand is coated.
3. Butter a 24 cm cake tin and press half of the shredded pastry into the bottom, packing it down well.
4. Mix the mozzarella with the ricotta and spread it evenly over the pastry, keeping it a little away from the edge.
5. Cover with the rest of the shredded pastry and press down firmly.
6. Bake at 200 °C (fan 185 °C) for 30–35 minutes until golden; pour the cold syrup over straight away, sprinkle with pistachios and serve warm, while the cheese is still stretchy. ⏱ Timer: 30 min

A Receptnaptár original recipe. Calories and protein are estimated.

Tips

• Soak the kataifi well with butter so it turns crisp and golden.
• It is best fresh and warm, while the cheese is still stretchy.
• The cheese should be mildly salty and melt well; mozzarella with ricotta is a good substitute.
• Pour cold syrup over the hot pastry so it doesn't go soggy.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy kataifi?

In Middle Eastern, Turkish or Greek shops, usually frozen; thinly cut spaghetti cannot replace it.

Is it sweet and salty?

Yes, the cheese is salty; the syrup balances it.

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• Quarkkeulchen (Saxon quark pancakes with applesauce) · German
• Käsekuchen (German quark cheesecake, lightly lemony) · German
• Künefe (kadayıf pastry with melted cheese and syrup) · Middle East & Caucasus
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More middle east & caucasus ideas

• Güllaç (rice-sheet dessert soaked in rosewater milk, with pomegranate)
• Şöbiyet (pistachio and cream triangle baklava)
• Muhallebi (rosewater milk pudding with pistachios)
• Sütlü nuriye (light milk-and-hazelnut baklava)
• Ma'amoul (date-filled semolina cookies)
• Umm Ali (Egyptian puff-pastry bread pudding with nuts)
• Halawet el jibn (cheese and semolina rolls with cream and syrup)
• Qatayef (stuffed mini pancakes with walnuts or cream)

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