Knafeh Recipe
Kataifi pastry layered with stretchy white cheese and sugar based syrup
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Ingredients
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Kataifi pastry & butter layer
Cheese filling
Sugar syrup (simple syrup) for soaking
Garnish
Method
Prepare syrup
- 1
Make sugar syrup
Combine 400 g granulated sugar and 300 ml water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and remove from heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon orange blossom water or rose water. Allow syrup to cool to warm or room temperature (syrup must be cool or lukewarm when poured over hot knafeh).
Prepare pastry
- 2
Shred and season kataifi
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Unroll kataifi and gently loosen strands with your fingers to separate. Place kataifi in a large bowl and sprinkle 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over it. Pour 200 g melted unsalted butter evenly over kataifi and toss thoroughly with your hands until strands are evenly coated and moistened. Break up any large clumps so the pastry is crumbly and loose.
- 3
Line pan with bottom layer
Grease a 30 cm (12 inch) round or rectangular baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Press about half of the buttered kataifi mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan, forming a compact layer approximately 1–1.5 cm thick. Use the back of a spoon or your fingers to press firmly so the base will hold together after baking.
Prepare cheese filling
- 4
Prepare cheeses
If using salted akkawi, soak in several changes of cold water for 4–8 hours beforehand to desalinate, then drain and pat dry. Shred or tear 700 g mozzarella (or prepared akkawi). In a bowl combine shredded mozzarella (or akkawi) with 150 g ricotta (optional) to create a spreadable, stretchy filling. Add 2 tablespoons fine semolina, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon orange blossom or rose water; mix until homogeneous. Taste and adjust salt carefully if using low-salt cheeses. The semolina helps absorb excess moisture and stabilize the filling.
- 5
Assemble cheese layer
Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the pressed bottom kataifi layer, leaving about 1 cm margin at the edges. Press gently to create a level surface but avoid compacting too tightly to preserve stretchiness.
Top pastry and bake
- 6
Top with remaining kataifi
Take the remaining buttered kataifi and distribute it evenly over the cheese layer. Press lightly to form an even top layer. If desired, reserve a little butter to drizzle on top for extra browning.
- 7
Finish and serve
- 8
Soak with syrup and garnish
As soon as the knafeh comes out of the oven, ladle the cooled (or room-temperature) sugar syrup evenly over the hot pastry — use about 60–100% of the syrup depending on how sweet/moist you prefer (for this recipe use approximately 300–350 ml of syrup). Pour slowly and evenly so syrup soaks into the kataifi without pooling excessively. Let rest for 5–10 minutes to absorb. Sprinkle crushed pistachios evenly across the top. Allow to rest an additional 5 minutes, then cut into squares or wedges and serve hot so the cheese is stretchy.
- 9
Storage and reheating
Leftovers can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; reheat pieces in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 8–12 minutes to crisp the kataifi and warm the cheese. Add a little fresh syrup after reheating if needed.