Kanafeh is an Arabic dish that is prepared in the month of Ramadan, the fasting period for people of the Islamic faith. During Ramadan, individuals who respect it do not eat during the day, but can eat after dark. The story of this dish begins when a doctor introduced it to help some princes who had difficulty fasting due to their large appetite. The doctor had created the recipe and instructed the princes to eat large quantities of it just before dawn, so that hunger pangs would not grip them in the daylight hours (Al-Ahram, 2004). Kanafeh is a dessert made with phyllo dough garnished with raisins, dried fruit and cream; in some variations the cream is replaced with mozzarella or a cream cheese, but some people also add cinnamon. The exact list of ingredients varies according to regional traditions; the recipe presented in this article refers to the Egyptian one and contains dried fruit.
Ingrediants
For pasta:
- 500 g of chopped phyllo dough; thin sheets of unleavened dough
- 250 g of butter
- 10 ml of oil
- 160 g of any chopped dried fruit
For the syrup:
- 300 g of sugar
- 250 ml of water
- Half a lemon
Steps
Step 1. Make the syrup
Pour the water into a deep pan.
Step 2. Add the juice of half a lemon
Step 3. Incorporate 300g of sugar
Step 4. Bring the pan to the stove and heat the ingredients over medium heat
Step 5. Stir for 10 minutes
Step 6. Let the mixture simmer until thick
Step 7. Take care of the dough
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 8. Put the kanafeh dough in a bowl
Step 9. Melt the butter in the microwave and mix it into the dough
Stir carefully until the fat is well incorporated.
Step 10. Take a baking dish and grease the bottom with a few drops of oil, so that the pasta does not stick
Step 11. Take half of the pasta and place it in the baking dish
Step 12. Flatten it using both hands until you can no longer see the bottom of the pan
Sprinkle the surface with dried fruit and add some cheese.
Step 13. Cover everything with the other half of dough
Step 14. Tap the mixture with great care
Step 15. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes or until the kanafeh turns golden
Step 16. Take it out of the oven and sprinkle it evenly with syrup
Step 17. Set it aside for 10 minutes to cool
Step 18. Serve it hot
Advice
- Don't overcook the pasta. You shouldn't leave it in the oven for more than half an hour, it simply has to reach a nice golden color that allows you to understand that the dessert is ready.
- Beginners need to remember that the preparation takes some practice, but in the end, every effort will pay off.
- Hold the phyllo dough in your hands and rub them together to separate the layers.
- Make the syrup first, as it takes some time for it to thicken; when you pour it on the cake it should not be excessively fluid.
Warnings
- When preparing the syrup, do not leave it unattended on the stove, otherwise the sugar could burn and ruin the pan.
- Remember to always grease the pan before putting the dough to prevent the dough from sticking and burning.
- Be very careful when taking the dish out of the oven, as it is very hot.
