Kunafa is a popular and delicious Middle Eastern dessert made with a creamy layer of milk pudding between two layers of crunchy Kunafa dough (shredded Kataifi) and then drizzled with simple sugar syrup.
This Kunafa recipe is going to duplicate that heavenly dessert you had in the Middle Eastern Restaurant that had perplexed you about how it was made.
For more Middle Eastern dessert recipes, check Galaktoboureko and Om Ali.
The strings of dough and cream oozed with a sugary syrup as it gently dissolved in your mouth like a dream. And you didn’t even mind the pleasant interruptions that the pistachios made with their crunch between all the melted goodness in your mouth.
How you wished you knew how that dessert was put together. Well, the holy month of Ramadan is here, and so your wish is our command. We’re bringing to you the recipe for one of the most marvellous desserts in the Middle East; the Knafeh.
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What is Kunafa?
Kunafa, more authentically known as Knafeh is a Middle Eastern delicacy made of shredded bits of pastry. These stringy bits of pastry are filled with a thick cream called Ashta, and then placed in the oven until they’re baked to a beautiful golden brown.
Finally, they’re soaked in sweet syrup and topped with pistachios. That’s it! That’s the way to wrap a Middle Eastern feast the right way.
What is in the Kunafa Recipe?
Kunafa (kataifi) pastry: You can get this at a Middle Eastern store or online. You may also find it under the name "kataifi dough".
Ghee: Better known as clarified butter.
Sugar: Just what you’ve got at home.
Vanilla extract: Essence will also work fine.
Lemon juice: For a tinge of tanginess in the syrup.
Water: Just regular drinking water.
Milk: preferably full fat, but what you have at home is fine.
Corn flour: The thickening for the cream.
Pistachio: Optional for topping.
How to make Kunafa?
Making this scrumptious dessert is a 3-part process. First, one must prepare the sugar syrup (simple syrup), filling, and pastry separately. Once done, they’re assembled all together to reveal a delightful treat.
The three parts have been broken down for you below:
Step One - Making The Sugar Syrup
Take out a small saucepan, add sugar and water over medium high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiled, bring the heat to a medium and let the mixture simmer for 4 to 5 minutes more.
Into this mixture, you’ll want to add vanilla extract and lemon juice. Stir them well, and then turn the heat off.
Now set this syrup aside to cool completely. Meanwhile, you can move on to prepare the filling.
Step Two- Preparing The Filling (Ashta)
Now, take a small saucepan. In this, you’ll want to add sugar, corn flour, and milk.
Let this mixture brew over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to thicken. Whisk this mixture constantly, so that no lumps form.
Finally, add drops of vanilla extract and turn off the heat. Now, set this filling aside to cool as well. While it cools, let’s move on to preparing the Kunafa.
Step Three - Preparing The Kunafa Pastry
Before you begin to do anything, preheat the oven to 190C/374F and grease a 22 cm baking pan with ghee, and set it aside.
Now take out your pastry and blitz in the food processor until you have fine strips or cut it into small pieces using sizers and put it in a large bowl.
Now take your melted ghee and mix it thoroughly into the pastry. Rub the Kunafa with ghee using both hands.
Step Four - Assembling The Dessert
Now, it is ready to go in the oven! Add half of the kunafa to the bottom of the baking pan we had prepared ahead of time and set aside.
Press on this layer you just created on the bottom of your pan with the palm of your hand. You want to aim for a very flat layer of Kunafa.
Now add pastry around the edges of the tray and press on them as well.
Next, we’re going to pour the cream filling into the centre of the pan and spread it out over the first layer.
Top the cream with the rest of the Kunafa pastry and press it down gently using both hands. We’re aiming to create a sandwich where the Kunafa acts as bread, and the Ashta is filling in the middle.
Step Five - Bake The Kunafa
Take this Kunafa sandwich and plop it in the preheated oven. Let it bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.
As soon as you remove it from the oven, pour the cooled syrup evenly over the top. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. This will ensure that all the syrup has been absorbed.
Sprinkle some ground pistachio on top, then cut it and serve.
Ta-duh! You’ve made that dessert that looked so difficult from afar? Wasn’t that hard, once broken down into steps, right?
Success Tips
- Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before you start making the recipe, especially the ghee. If the ghee is not melted at room temperature, it’ll be difficult to spread on the pastry.
- When you’re topping the cream with the pastry to make the topmost layer, make sure to cover all the white parts. None of the white fillings should be showing through the top, and the Kunafa layer should be flat and smooth. If it’s not flat and smooth, it’ll cook at uneven levels.
Recipe Variations
- You can use any choice of nuts that you like. Traditionally, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios are used on Kunafas.
- For a neat presentation, you can make a spiral using nuts in your pan before you create the bottommost pastry layer. You can also spell out someone’s initial or create any design using nuts of your choice. Then, follow through with the recipe as prompted above. But when you’re done with the final step, which is pouring the syrup, you’ll want to flip the Kunafa cake upside down to reveal the nuts you had placed. This is what bakers in Turkey do!
- Use cheese filling instead of cream (Ashta), such as mozzarella cheese, Akkawi cheese or ricotta cheese.
- Add a few drops of rose water or orange blossom water to the simple syrup.
Serving Suggestions
With its crunchy bites, creamy filling, and citrus-infused layers, we don’t think this dessert needs any more add-ons! Savour its goodness all on its very own.
And if you’d like something on the side, then ice cream or you’re favourite cup of tea or coffee are great companions of Kunafa.
Storage
Make ahead of time: You can prepare the syrup, as well as the Kunafa, ahead of time. Cover before you plop them in the fridge, and take it out 30 minutes prior to baking.
Store: You can store the leftover kunafa for 3 to 5 days, after which we don’t think you’ll have leftovers anyway!
Freeze: It’s not advised that you freeze the Kunafa. However, you can freeze the unbaked Kunafa. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. And then whenever you feel like having it, just thaw and bake as usual.
To reheat: If you’re taking it out of the fridge, you can simply microwave the Kunafa for 5-10 minutes. You can also bake it in the oven at 360F/180C. If you take it out of the freezer, it will be unbaked (as advised) and can be baked as per the usual recipe.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, it can be appreciated best when served after milk. This is because milk resets all the taste buds in your mouth. So when you relish Kunafa after a few sips of milk, you can cherish the kunafa’s unique flavour better.
Yes, It is often made with cheese. The creamy filling (ashta) can be easily substituted for some cheese, preferably mozzarella.
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Recipe
Kunafa Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g Kunafa dough
- 240 g ghee
For the sugar syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
For the filling
- 3 cups milk
- 3 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pistachio , minced
Instructions
Make the sugar syrup
- In a small saucepan, add sugar and water over high heat and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 4-5 more minutes.2 cups sugar, 1 cup water
- Add in the vanilla extract and lemon juice, stir, and then turn off the heat. Allow it to cool completely.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Preparing the filling
- In a small saucepan, add sugar, cornflour and milk over medium heat, whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens, and there are no lumps at all.3 cups milk, 3 tablespoon cornflour, 2 tablespoon sugar
- Add in vanilla extract, stir and turn off the heat and allow it to cool.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Prepare the Kunafa
- Preheat the oven to 190C/374F and grease a 22 cm baking pan with ghee, and set aside.
- Put the pastry in the food processor and blitz until you have fine strips of Kunafa.400 g Kunafa dough
- Pour the melted ghee over it and mix it thoroughly (rub the Kunafa with ghee using your hands).240 g ghee
- Add half of the pastry to the bottom of the prepared baking pan, press on it with the palm of your hand until you get a flat layer of Kunafa. Now add pastry around the edges of the tray and press on them as well.
- Pour the cream filling into the centre of the pan and spread it out over the first layer of pastry.
- Top the cream with the rest of the pastry and press it down gently using both hands.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.
- As soon as you remove it from the oven, pour the cooled syrup evenly over the top. Let it sit for 10 minutes, so all the syrup is absorbed.
- Sprinkle some ground pistachio on top, then cut it and serve.1 tablespoon pistachio
Notes
- Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before you start making the recipe, especially the ghee. If the ghee is not melted at room temperature, it’ll be difficult to spread on the pastry.
- When you’re topping the cream with the pastry to make the topmost layer, make sure to cover all the white parts. None of the white fillings should be showing through the top, and the Kunafa layer should be flat and smooth. If it’s not flat and smooth, it’ll cook at uneven levels.
Variations
- You can use any choice of nuts that you like. Traditionally, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios are used on Kunafas.
- For a neat presentation, you can make a spiral using nuts in your pan before you create the bottommost pastry layer. You can also spell out someone’s initial or create any design using nuts of your choice. Then, follow through with the recipe as prompted above. But when you’re done with the final step, which is pouring the syrup, you’ll want to flip the Kunafa cake upside down to reveal the nuts you had placed. This is what bakers in Turkey do!
- Use cheese filling instead of cream (Ashta), such as mozzarella cheese, Akkawi cheese or ricotta cheese.
- Add a few drops of rose water or orange blossom water to the simple syrup.
Engi
This recipe was a hit, all my family loved it, and the detailed instructions were easy to follow. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, especially during Ramadan.
Mona
Tasty and sweet! I used nuts instead of milk pudding, and it was delicious. Thanks!