Künefe Recipe /Turkish sweet cheese kadayif pastry (Kunafa / kanafeh)

Merhaba From Türkiye 👋

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Künefe or kanafeh or kunafeh or kunafah or ... I don't know any other names of it.. But basically, it's a sweet pastry made from wiry kadaif filled/ layered with unsalty soft cheese and soaked in sugar syrup. Served hot or at room temperature.
Künefe is popular in Turkey and in some Mediterranean countries (as a former Ottoman Empire). 

In Turkey, some cities (like Hatay, Adana, Mersin, Sanliurfa, Mardin) had claimed where this Künefe originated from. But according to sources Künefe originally from Arabian. The soldiers of the Ottoman Empire which were sent on the road to the establishment of the Republic have gone to Yemen. Some of the troops here had made some "sweets/ dessert" and then later when they (ottoman soldiers) have returned to their home they started to learn making this dessert. Künefe came to Mersin the end of the year 1930, and to Hatay at 1940s.

I ate this sweet pastry the first time a few years ago when I got to Turkey for 1st time ( I think it was around 2008). And my first impression was this dessert was away too sweet for me.. any Turkish dessert was too sweet for me as they mostly soaked in thick sugar syrup.
But after a few years of living here slowly, my taste has adapted, but still, I eat some sweets in moderation.

This popular and everybody's favorite dessert is surprisingly easy to make. Here I use a plate specially for making Künefe. It has about 15 cm in diameter with deep-set in the middle part (around 12 mm depth). But feel free to use baking tray or pan.

The recipe I saw from one of TV program I saw, and.. there wasn't an exact amount of ingredients used. You need to know that this künefe has a thin layer with a cheese layer in between. Press the kadaif pretty hard to make it solid and flat.

yeaah... for me who living in Turkey, it's very easy for me to get this dessert around the corner, but again, since I'm living here -which is easy to access to all ingredients - I want to experience (not mastered though) how to make this famous dessert for my family.
So for you who wants to experience Turkish dessert for your family... here recipe I use:

Serve 3~4 plate diameter 15cm

Ingredients:

For thick sugar syrup (make ahead):

• 650~700 gr sugar
• 400 ml water
• 1 tsp corn syrup (optional)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced, and zest.

⇒Mix all ingredients and heat until rolling boil. Chill to room temperature until ready to use.

I use unsalted string cheese

 For kadayif pastry:

• About 350 gr stale wiry kadayif*
• about 400 gr good quality butter, soften at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp molasses ( I use grape molasses)
• "künefe soft cheese" unsalted (here mostly people use Hatay cheese or string cheese)
• Pistachio and clotted cream (turk; kaymak) for serving.

(*) I use fresh kadayif then keep at room temperature and unwrap so it gets dry a bit.

Kadayıf string

 How to make:
1. Roughly chopped kadayif into smaller part

2. Mix soften butter with grape molasses. Take your künefe plate (or use baking tray or cast iron pan), generously rub with butter.

3. Scatter chopped kadayif over butter. I didn't measure exactly how many grams (around 50 gr each layer). Then press firmly with your palms or something flat and heavy so you will get firm and solid layer.

4. Layer the cheese evenly over kadayıf.

5) Again cover with kadayif and press firmly.

6) Heat over a low flame while pressing the surface with something flat. Cook until brown, you can see the edge become brown and künefe can easily separate from plate.

7. Now this is a little bit tricky step.... How to turn over your künefe. Take one flat plate, put face down over künefe plater then with fast movement flip over those plates... taddaaa...

8. Generously rub again künefe plater with butter before slip over your künefe.

9. Cook other side over low heat evenly until golden brown. Once off from stove, generously  flush künefe with sugar syrup.

Serve warm or room temperature. Sprinkle with chopped/ powdered pistachio and dollop of clotted cheese (kaymak).
I skip kaymak because I think I already gain some big calories with this dessert (^,^)

Warning:

• This food is highly recommended while you visit Turkey, especially to these area: Hatay, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Mardin, Adana, Mersin and around that area (^,^)
• Do not think about your diet program while enjoy this. 
• Note and bookmark this recipe cause it's addictive dessert, you might want it again and again (^,^)

Source:

History of Kunefe 

Ottoman Empire

Kanafeh

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