Ingredients
Cheese filling
Mozzarella cheese, grated 600g
Castor sugar 45ml
Rose water 10ml
Kunafah crust
500g Vermicelli, dried or frozen
250ml Butter, melted and slightly cooled
250ml Pistachio for garnish
Scented syrup
625ml Castor sugar
375ml Water
5ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml Rose water
15ml Orange blossom water or orange zest
Semolina pudding
375ml Milk
187ml Whipping cream
45ml Castor sugar
1 Cinnamon stick
3 Whole cloves
3 Cardamom pods (seeds removed)
15ml Semolina
5ml Corn starch
5ml Water
5ml Rose water
1 pinch Salt
Instructions
Scented syrup
1. In a medium pan combine together sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a
boil on high heat without stirring to prevent crystallisation.
2. Once it has boiled reduce the heat to low and simmer for not longer than 10
minutes.
3. Remove from stove, stir in rose and orange blossom water. Transfer to a bowl
and allow to cool to room temperature.
Semolina pudding
4. In a small pan combine milk, cream, sugar, semolina, cinnamon, cloves and
cardamom. Let this infuse.
5. Dissolve the corn starch in 5 ml of water and add to the pan.
6. Place on a medium to high stove and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes until thick and the corn starch is cooked through
7. Remove from stove and add rose water.
8. Let it cool
Cheese filling
In a mixing bowl, stir together cheese, sugar and rose water.
Kunafah
9. Preheat the oven to 200°C
10. Place vermicelli in luke warm water and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. (How you treat the vermicelli, will depend on which vermicelli you have – frozen or dry.).
11. Using scissors, cut the vermicelli into thumb length pieces and pour melted butter or ghee over the vermicelli, mix thoroughly
12. Generously grease a 30 cm round cake pan or four 15 cm pans with ghee or butter.
13. Arrange ⅔ of the vermicelli in the pan, pressing it firmly on the bottom of the pan and up the walls
14. Pour half of the semolina pudding over the vermicelli and even out, top up with cheese mixture and then the remaining semolina pudding.
15. Sprinkle the remaining vermicelli on top, lightly pressing it tight
16. Place in oven and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until golden brown (depending how crunchy you would like it to be)
17. Remove from oven and pour ¾ of syrup all over the kunafah, leaving the remaining syrup for serving.
18. Leave to cool for 5 – 10 minutes then flip on a serving platter. Decorate edges of kunafah with coarsely crushed pistachios and drizzles of syrup. Serve warm.
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