A good kunafa is something special and not everyone can prepare it properly. Here is a recipe by an expert chef – if you follow this, it can give you the flavor of a tasty dish.

Ingredients

For Shemai Dough

• Lachcha Semai/thin sheets of unleavened flour dough/Kunafa Dough – 200 gm
• Butter – 1/4 tablespoon, melted
• Milk – 1/4 cup
• Orange food colour – 1 teaspoon

For Sugar Syrup

• Sugar – 1 1/2 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Lemon juice/white vinegar – 1 teaspoon
• Rose Water – 1 teaspoon

For Filling

• Cream cheese – 200 gm
• Fresh cream – 1/2 cup
• Channa/Ricotta Cheese – 1/2 cup
• Pistachio for garnishing- 1/2 cup, finely chopped

Directions

Dough Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 180 degree C.
• Grease a 7″ inch baking pan with one teaspoon butter and food colour. Keep aside.
• Break into small pieces of lachcha semai. Mix melted butter and milk with semai well until it is all absorbed. Keep aside.

Filling Preparation

• Take a bowl and put into all filling ingredients.
• Whisk with an electric hand mixer and keep aside.

Making Sugar Syrup

• Boil sugar and water in a wide sauce pan.
• Add rose water. Keep stirring until sugar dissolves completely.

Making And Baking Kunafa

• Take two third of the dough and place it in the pan. Press down along the sides of the pan. Using both hands, pat down the dough well until you can’t see the bottom of the pan.
• Now pour prepared filling evenly all over the kunafa dough.
• Then, cover with the remaining one third of the dough. Press well with the palms of your hand or use a spatula.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 50 minutes.
• Let the kunafa cool down at room temperature.
• Pour the sugar syrup over the top of the cooled kunafa.
• Loosen the edges of the kunafa using a knife before overturning it to a suitable dish.
• Before serving garnish with chopped/ground pistachio.
• Slice and serve at room temperature.

(The writer is a professional chef.)