Konafah

What exactly is Konafah?  (Egyptian Kataifa.)  Konafah is an Egyptian dessert dish for feasts and everyday during the fasting holy month of Ramadan. You can use it, when doing a school project on Egypt (it is not an Ancient Egyptian dish).  Konafah is usually found in greek or middleeastern stores with the name Kanaifah on the box.  This would be a good recipe for your daughter or son to make for her/his project. If you're looking for another recipe, Please use any recipe in my home page, I would recommend. You have to buy a special dough "Shredded Fillo Dough" (Kataifi) from a Middle Eastern store or you may find it in your local store. Good luck. 

KONAFAH

Konafah is uncooked shredded "Filo Dough". Which can be bought from any International Middle Eastern Grocery Store.

Ingredients:

1 lb : konafah

1 lb : butter (very hot) (I will use less butter next time.)

¼ lb walnuts

½ lb unsalted Peanuts (I used almonds instead)

¼ lb coconuts

1 teaspoonful fine ground cinnamon

Syrup:

1 ½ cups of sugar
1 ½ cups. of water
1 teaspoonful of lemon juice
1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

1 teaspoonful of rose or orange flower blossom water (my addition)

Procedure:

Preparation of Syrup:

1.       Add sugar to water, stir on mild -heat stove until dissolve.

2.       Add lemon juice and boil for 30- 45 minutes using minimum heat until it gets viscous and thick.

3.       Allow it to cool to room temperature.

4.       Add vanilla.

Preparation of the nuts:

1.       Chop the nuts fine (the size of sesame seeds).

2.       Mix with coconut and cinnamon.

Preparation of Konafah:

1.       Use 9 x I I inch tray; coat all sides of the tray with butter Mix konafah with molten butter.

2.       To do so, try to divide it to small pieces to be mixed with butter.

3.       After mixing, divide konafah into two equal quantities.

4.       Spread the first half of konafah in the tray and try to press it and make its surface even.

5.       Spread the nuts mixture over it.

6.       Then, add and spread the second half.

7.       Press it with f-ingers, makes its surface even.

8.       Add the remainder amount of butter on the surface evenly.

9.       Bake in preheated oven (325 f) for about 20 minutes until the lower surface of kanafah turned into golden color.

10.    Turn the oven to broil until the upper surface turned into golden color.

11.    Sooner, remove it from the oven.

12.    Add the cold syrup to it evenly.

13.    Cover it with aluminum foil.

14.    · Allow it cool.

15.    · Divide it into a 12 equal pieces.

1 hours 25 minutes ( 20 mins prep time, 1 hours 5 mins cook time )

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Konafa

The dough for this pastry can be purchased refregerated at most middle eastern markets. It looks like vermicelli or shredded wheat, only soft, white, and uncooked. Thin strands of dough with a custard middle and syrupy sauce make Konafa a popular Ramadan holiday dessert.

Shell:
1 pound Shredded Fillo Dough pastry
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Cream Filling:
4 tablespoons cream of rice (or finely ground rice), or flour
2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons finely ground pistachio nuts
1/2 cups milk
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Syrup:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 tablespoon rose water, or orange blossom water

2 tablespoons finely ground pistachio nuts  

1.       Prepare the cream filling by mixing the cream of rice, sugar and 1/2 cup milk to form a smooth paste.

2.       Bring the 2 cups milk to a boil, then add the rice paste to the boiling milk slowly with continuous stirring.

3.       Let simmer with continuous stirring until very thick. Ensure that it does not lump or stick to the bottom of the pan.

4.       Allow the milk mixture to cool, then add the heavy cream and nuts. Mix well.

5.       Prepare the syrup by stirring the sugar, water and lemon juice over medium heat until thick to the point that it coats the metal spoon.

6.       Add rose water and cook with stirring for a few more minutes until well mixed.

7.       Remove from heat and cool slightly in the refrigerator.

8.       To prepare the Konafa, pull out and separate half Konafa pastry strands.

9.       Pour half of the melted butter over the konafa pastry. Work the pastry to ensure that each strand is coated with the butter.

10.    Spread the pastry on the bottom of a 9x9x2 inches oven dish.

11.    Pour cream filling on the pastry.

12.    Cover the cream filling with the rest of the pastry strands using the same method described above.

13.    Bake in an oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, or until slightly golden in color.

14.    Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup over the hot Konafa.  Sprinkle remaining nuts on top.

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Konafa Bil Gibna

Ingredients:  

1        package  konafah thawed -- cut to 2 inch -- pieces.

1/3     cup  sweet butter

melted mozzerella cheese sliced.

2/3     cup  sugar.

1        cup  water.

1 1/2  teaspoons  lemon juice.

Preparation:  

After slicing the cheese, put the slices in a large bowl and cover with water and let it stand for 1 hr.

Drain the water and add fresh water and let it stand for another hour. What you are doing is getting rid of all the salt in the cheese.

After the 2nd hour drain the water from the cheese and arrange the slices on paper towels and cover them with clear plastic wrap until they are ready to use.

If you are making this for yourself only (1 person) I advise you to use a small baking dish for one to two serving.  This dish is no good if you have left overs.   I usually make enough to be eaten at the time and keep the rest of the konafah and cheese in the fridge until I want to make it again in a couple of days. But, if you are only making this once, then you can use some of the konafah for this dish and make the rest into konafah with nuts  (See first recipe.)  

Butter a baking dish and put some cut-up kohafah in the bottom of it (enough to cover 1/3 of the depth of the dish. Sprinkle some butter all over the konafah, you don't have to use a lot of butter with the cheese filling since it has enough fat in it! Arrange one layer of cheese slices.  The slices should be 1/4-1/2 cm in thickness. Add more cut-up konafah to cover the cheese and to almost reach just before the edge of the dish.

Sprinkle some more butter on the surface and you might want to put a little more than the bottom layer. Bake it in a 350 oven until it turns golden.

While it is baking make the syrup. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice and let it boil on mid-high heat for about 15 minutes. as soon as the konafah turns golden, spoon the syrup over it and stick it back into the over for 1-2 minutes. Serve straight from the oven.