Kunafa - Bird's Nest Pastry

1 pack of kutaifi (Middle East style of very fine vermicelli or shredded phylo dough)

1 cup clarified butter

18-24 pieces whole almond or whole pistachio

About the image above: Kunafa borma

Grease a tray with clarified butter. On the table, gently loosen the kutaifi (vermicelli), with your fingers, form the vermicelli to a small bird’s nest and arrange them on the greased tray. Repeat the sequence until all of the vermicelli formed into a small bird’s nest. Place almond or pistachio to every nest and baked it in the oven until golden browns in the surface, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with syrup. Serve the kunafa while it warm or you need to warm up before serving

About the image above: vermicelli for kunafa

About the image above: 'kataifi' vermicelli packaging

For the syrup

1 kilogram sugar

½ kilogram water

200 grams glucose

1-2 pieces juice of lime

Combine the ingredients and dissolve them in a pot over the heat slowly. Take out from the heat after the sugar dissolved.

Helpful Hints

If you need more sweet you should allow sprinkling more syrup.

Super Chef Diary: Super Chef Diary: Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters

Super Chef Diary: Super Chef Diary: Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters: Super Chef Diary: Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters : 2 cups flour, shifted 8-10 eggs 2 cups water 200 grams margarine 2 cup oil to fry Bring a...

Basbousa - Semolina Cake

3 cups semolina flour

1½ cups desiccated coconut

1½ cups butter

1-1½ cups milk

3 tablespoons plain yogurt

1-1½ cups sugar

¼ cup chopped hazelnuts

¼ cup slivered almond or chopped to top the cake

2 tablespoon butter to grease the baking tray

In a pot on medium heat, combine the butter and bring to the boil. In meanwhile, combine the semolina, desiccated coconut and sugar. Lower the heat and add the semolina mixture slowly and the rest of the ingredients to the boiling milk. Mix them well to make sure the semolina will not burnt.

About the image above: basbousa – semolina and coconut cake

Grease the tray and pour the mixture into the tray and distribute the mixture evenly. Bake the cake until golden brown about 35-40 minutes at 350°C.

When the cake start to turn to golden brown, remove from the oven and sprinkle the nuts on the top of the cake. Use your finger to press the nuts gently over the cake. Then let the cake to cool down for about 1½ -2 hours. Sprinkle with syrup or soak it and then bake the cake one more time at 180°C-200°C for about 5-8 minutes or until it turn to really golden brown. Slice the cake to serve either warm or cold. Sprinkle with some toasted nuts on top. Makes about 46-54 pieces.

For the syrup

1 kilogram sugar

½ kilogram water

200 grams glucose

1-2 pieces juice of lime

Combine the ingredients and dissolve them in a pot over the heat slowly. Take out from the heat after the sugar dissolved.

Helpful Hints

You will prepare the cake a bit earlier if you have to serve the cake for some special theme party. The cake can keep for about 4-5 days in good temperature fridge.

Super Chef Diary: Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters

Super Chef Diary: Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters: 2 cups flour, shifted 8-10 eggs 2 cups water 200 grams margarine 2 cup oil to fry Bring a heavy saucepan to medium high heat w...

Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters

2 cups flour, shifted

8-10 eggs

2 cups water

200 grams margarine

2 cup oil to fry

Bring a heavy saucepan to medium high heat with water and margarine to boil. Add the shifted flour slowly and stir with wooden spoon until the dough becoming stiff and form a ball. Remove the dough from the head and place into a clean bowl to cool it down.

About the image above: balah hassem

Combine the eggs into the dough one by one; make sure the dough is soft and elastic. Filled a pot with frying oil and let the oil hot at the temperature to fry the dough. Filled the dough into clean piping bag, and gently drop the dough into hot oil. Let do this sequence until all of the dough has been fried. Turn the fried dough and make sure it cooks from every angle to golden brown, use a skimmer to turn the dough. Remove from the hot oil when it cooked and place them on a tray with paper napkin underneath to absorb the excess of the oil.

The next step is to dip the fritters into thick heavy syrup for 1-2 minutes to coat the fritters. You can serve warm or cold.  Makes about 25-30 pieces.

For the syrup

1 kilogram sugar

½ kilogram water

200 grams glucose

1-2 pieces juice of lime

Combine the ingredients and dissolve them in a pot over the heat slowly. Take out from the heat after the sugar dissolved.

Helpful Hints

Prepare the syrup earlier at least a day before so easier for you when you prepare the fritters. You can keep the syrupy fritters in your fridge for longer self-life of 3-4 days.

If you do not like with syrup, you can dust some powdered sugar after you fry.

Super Chef Diary: Swaba Zainab - Lady Finger Cookies

Super Chef Diary: Swaba Zainab - Lady Finger Cookies: 500 grams semolina flour 250 grams margarine 5 grams sugar 10 grams yeast 5 grams salt 1 kilograms flour About the image...

Swaba Zainab - Lady Finger Cookies

500 grams semolina flour

250 grams margarine

5 grams sugar

10 grams yeast

5 grams salt

1 kilograms flour

About the image above: swaba zainab cookies

Combine all ingredients in a machine and mix well. Leave the dough a while to ferment.

Cut the dough and form to a cylindrical lady finger size of cookies. Repeat the sequence until all of the dough has formed to the finger cookies

Prepare oil in a deep-fryer of pot to fry the cookies. Fry them until it turn to golden brown. And take out from the oil and left to cool.

Meanwhile prepare the syrup to coat the cookies. As soon as the cookies cool, plunge them to the syrup for about 2-4 minutes to coat and give sweetness to the cookies.

Take out from the syrup and keep in the room temperature. Serve as afternoon tea accompaniments or together with other Middle East sweet as dessert. Makes 750 grams

Notes: swaba zainab means lady finger in Arabic language.

For the syrup

1 kilogram sugar

½ kilogram water

200 grams glucose

1-2 pieces juice of lime

Combine the ingredients and dissolve them in a pot over the heat slowly. Take out from the heat after the sugar dissolved.

Helpful Hints

Prepare the syrup earlier when you want to make this swaba zainab. You can prepare the swaba zainab at least a day before the party and keep in a covered try at room temperature.