With such a steep history, it’s not surprising that Egypt also has colorful and sweet recipes. Kunafa is one of the most favored deserts in Ramadan. It‘s done in all sort of ways, with nuts, with cream, with honey, and even with fruits such as mangoes. My favorite is Kunafa filled with cream and Ricotta Cheese. It’s so easy to make and is absolutely delicious. Bel Hana wil Shifa.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo kunafa
• 250 gm butter
• 200 gm cream
• 200 ricotta cheese
• For Syrup: 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup water and juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Warm the oven to 350°. Melt or soften butter in a pan. Shred the Kunafa either by hand or with scissors. Then, mix it well with butter. Divide Kunafa in two halves. Lay one half in a round or a rectangular pan, and then press gently with the palm of your hand on the surface. Save the other half.  Meanwhile mix The Ricotta Cheese with cream in a bowl. (Some people prefer to put a little less cheese then the cream). With a spoon spread cheese mixture on the Kunafa; laying out evenly with the back of the spoon.

Lay the other half of the Kunafa on top of the filling then again press down gently with the palm of your hand and push into the oven. Depending on the pan you use, (I use Tefal), I get it out when its sides shrink and turn into a dark golden color. Flip on prepared serving plate with golden bottom side up, leave it to cool for a minute then pour cold syrup all over. If your pan is aluminum its surface might turn gold first (I haven’t tried- I’d appreciate it someone lets me know what happens in an aluminum pans).

Syrup:

• Heat mixed sugar and water until sugar completely dissolves.
• Add lemon juice.
• Leave to boil until mixture thickens.
• Test that it is the right thickness by putting a drop on a tilted surface, if it’s runny, and then leave it some more. If it’s kind of heavy and doesn’t really run then you are done. Leave mixture to cool completely before adding to Kunafa.
  Hints:

1. Dip the spoon in a glass of water before spreading the cheese mixture; otherwise the filling will stick to the spoon along with the Kunafa.
2. Either the syrup or the Kunafa must be very hot when combining, otherwise things will get soggy.
3. You don’t have to use all the syrup, but pour enough to make it moist/ or to taste. You could always heat the syrup and add later when Kunafa cools to adjust to our taste.

[/vc_column_text][/trx_content][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Ramadan Diaries: Best Ever Kunafa with Ricotta and Cream Filling appeared first on Arab Academy.

She explained to everyone how to make it in Arabic and the substitutions she made due to the difficulty finding certain ingredients in Egypt.[/vc_column_text][/trx_content][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Study Abroad: Student in Cooking Contest appeared first on Arab Academy.

This dish of stuffed vegetables goes back all the way to the Ottoman Empire and is popular in countries such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, the Balkans, Middle Eastern countries and Iran.  These stuffed vegetables include zucchini, eggplant, tomato, pepper and vine leaves. What many foreigners don’t know about making such dish is that it’s usually a communal activity.

Often Baladi (or local) women who intend to do Mahshi; gather together around a table with a huge pot of rice stuffing and another one of vegetables and start emptying and stuffing the vegetable or rolling and stuffing in the vine leaves. Because it’s a time consuming activity, Mahshi is often made while chatting. My favorite thing about this dish is that it could be purely vegetarian, although some include minced meat in the stuffing.  If it includes meat, then the Mahshi is served warm with a tomato sauce, if not then it is usually served at room temperature.  Both are frequently eaten with yoghurt. Here’s the Mahshi recipe below. It is highly recommended to try. Arab Academy smelled absolutely delicious for the whole day!

Ingredients: For Mahshi variations, the same recipe could be applied to green peppers, hard tomatoes, and eggplant. 1 kg (32 oz) medium zucchini

• 200 g (7 oz) minced meat (optional)
• 1 cup short grain rice, washed
• 1 kg (32 oz) red tomatoes, peeled and grated
• 2 tspns salt
• a dash of ground allspice and black pepper (as desired)
• a dash of ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tbls shortening or butter
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed with a dash of salt
• 2 cups water
• 4 tbls lemon juice
• 1/4 cup dill
• 1/4 cup parsley

Preparation: Wash zucchini well. Remove stems using a knife. Hollow out using an apple corer. Wash zucchini inside and out. Drain.

Filling: Mix minced meat with rice. Stir in salt and spices.
Stuff zucchini, shake each after filling it so that the filling is well distributed (don’t over stuff). Arrange in a pot. Invert a plate on top.
Strain tomatoes using a colander. Add 2 cups of water, shortening, and a dash of salt.
Place tomato juice in a pot over medium heat. When it boils, add to zucchini. Cook for 1 hour, or until tender.
Add crushed garlic and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes.
Serve zucchini and sauce hot separately or together in a large bowl.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Learn Arab Cooking: Mahshi Day at Arab Academy appeared first on Arab Academy.