Knafeh Nabulsiya
The Nablus-style cheese knafeh: orange-tinted kataifi pastry baked over melted akkawi cheese, drenched in cold rosewater syrup, scattered with pistachio.
Overview
Kataifi pastry shreds are blitzed to a coarse rubble; mixed with melted ghee and a pinch of orange food colouring; spread across the bottom of a buttered tin. Akkawi cheese (rinsed of salt) is laid on top. Baked hot until the pastry browns. Cold rosewater syrup is poured over hot from the oven; the syrup soaks the pastry while the cheese stays soft. Crushed pistachios are scattered on top.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 500 g kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo, thawed if frozen)
- 250 g unsalted butter (or ghee), melted
- ¼ teaspoon orange food colouring paste (or 1 teaspoon liquid)
Cheese
- 300 g mix of mozzarella
- 200 g ricotta cheese
Syrup
- 400 g caster sugar
- 250 ml water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon rosewater
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Topping
- 80 g shelled pistachios (finely chopped)
Method
Stage 1 - Syrup
- Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small pan.
- Bring to a boil; simmer 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Off the heat, stir in the rosewater and orange blossom water.
- Cool fully - must be cold when poured.
Stage 2 - Soak the cheese
- If using akkawi: rinse under cold running water 30 minutes (or soak in cold water with several changes) to remove excess salt; drain; chop into 1 cm pieces.
- If using halloumi: rinse 30 minutes; grate.
- The cheese must be unsalted-tasting - that's the difference between a great knafeh and a salty mess.
Stage 3 - Prepare the pastry
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Pulse the kataifi in a food processor to a coarse rubble (or chop with a knife).
- Whisk the orange colouring into the melted butter.
- Pour over the pastry; toss thoroughly to coat every strand.
Stage 4 - Layer
- Butter a 28 x 22 cm round or rectangular baking tin.
- Press half the pastry firmly into the bottom in an even layer (a glass works well as a press).
- Spread the cheese evenly across.
- Top with the remaining pastry; press firmly.
Stage 5 - Bake
- Bake 25-30 minutes until the top is deep orange-gold and the edges are crisp.
Stage 6 - Drown and invert
- Pull from the oven; immediately pour the cold syrup all over - slowly, evenly. Listen for the sizzle.
- Rest 2 minutes (lets the syrup penetrate without softening too far).
- Run a knife around the edges; invert onto a serving platter - the bright orange pastry should be on top.
Stage 7 - Top and serve
- Scatter the chopped pistachios across the surface.
- Cut into squares while still hot; serve immediately so the cheese pulls in strings.
Notes
- Cheese desalting is essential: Akkawi straight from the package is salty; eaten in knafeh untreated, the dish is inedible. Rinse hard.
- Cold syrup, hot pastry: Reverse and the kataifi goes mushy. Standard rule for Levantine sweets; doesn't change here.
- Eat hot: Knafeh's whole pleasure is the cheese pull. Cool knafeh is fine but sliced; warm it back up before serving (4 minutes at 180°C).
Storage
- Best fresh; reheat at 180°C for 5-6 minutes covered to restore the cheese pull.
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