Knafeh (Crispy Shredded Pastry with Cheese)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Fine strands of kataifi tossed in melted butter bake crisp above and below a layer of mozzarella, which stretches when the knafeh is cut.
Read more
A thin sugar syrup with a little lemon goes on the moment it leaves the oven, and the hot strands drink it in quickly. It is cut right away, because the pastry softens and the cheese firms as it sits.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Cut 250 g kataifi pastry into 2 to 3 cm strands with scissors.
Pour in 100 g melted unsalted butter, then separate and toss the strands by hand until no dry patches remain.
- 2
Pat 220 g mozzarella lightly with paper towel so excess moisture does not make the base soggy.
Spread half the buttered kataifi evenly over the pan base and press it firmly with your palm.
- 3
Scatter the cheese evenly, leaving about 1 cm clear around the edge to reduce leaking.
Cover with the remaining kataifi, then press across the surface so the cheese is enclosed without loose gaps.
- 4
Bake at 180C for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove it when the top is deep golden and the edges look crisp and slightly lifted; if the pastry is still pale, bake 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- 5
While it bakes, simmer 120 g sugar, 120 ml water, and 1 tsp lemon juice over medium heat.
Once the sugar dissolves, cook only 3 to 4 minutes more so the syrup stays pourable.
- 6
Pour the hot syrup evenly over the hot knafeh as soon as it leaves the oven, then let it stand for 1 minute.
Sprinkle with 30 g pistachios and cut while the cheese still stretches.
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
unsalted butter, mozzarella cheese
Baklava
unsalted butter, pistachios
Cheese Arepa (Venezuelan Griddled Cornmeal Cheese Pocket)
unsalted butter