ARABIC SWEETS

                       MAFRUKA

THIS IS A MUST TRY DESSERT!! very very yummmmmmmmy

Preparation time: 8 mins

Cooking time:20 mins

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 kg fine semolina
•  397 gms of sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ cup sugar or 150 g
• 1¾ cups ghee or 370 g
• ¾ cup water

Ingredients added after baking the dough:

• 1¾ cups sugar syrup or 600 g
• ¾ cup rose water
• 2/3 cup water
• 1½ cups ghee or 280 g, softened
• 1 cup mixed unsalted toasted nuts (almonds and hazelnuts) or 180 g, for garnishing

For the cream:

• 397 gms of sweetened condensed milk 
• 3 cups water
• ¾ cup corn flour or 100 g
• 2 tablespoons rose water

Preparation

Mix all the dough ingredients together to form soft dough.
Bake in the oven at 200 °C for 15-20 minutes or until it turns golden brown in color.
Keep aside to cool for 10 minutes, and then blend using an electrical blender.
In a pan, put the baked blended dough with the sugar syrup, rosewater and water on medium heat for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the ghee and mix gently.
Spread the dough over a large flat plate (or 2 medium size plates) and keep aside.
To prepare the cream, mix all the cream ingredients and bring to boil on low heat, and then simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Keep aside to cool down.
Spread the cream on top of the Mafruka dough and garnish with the nuts.

                      MA'AMOUL TART BIL-KISHTA

THIS IS JUST SO GOOD TO EVEN LOOK AT! SO TRY OUT AND MAKE THIS LIL' FRUIT SALAD IN A BASKET!
Cooking tips :Carefully knead the dough by hands until it starts to stick, and then make sure you do not work the dough a lot. This will give you crunchy maamoul.

Cooking time:13 mins

Ingredients

• For the dough:

• 2 cups semolina or 320 g
• 1 cup fine semolina or 160 g
• ¾ cup ghee or 150 g, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar or 100 g
• 1 teaspoon ground mahlab
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• 1 tablespoon blossom water

• For the filling:

• 2 cups milk or 500 ml
• 1 tin fresh cream or 170 g
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 slices toast bread, throw away crusts and cut pulp to cubes
• 1 tablespoon blossom water

                          KHABEESA
This is e very tasty dish so please try it!

Preparation time:15 mins

Cooking time:1 hr

Ingredients

• 4¼ cups plain flour or 600 g
• 4½ cups water or 1125 ml
• ½ teaspoon saffron filaments
• ¾ cup sugar or 150 g
• ¾ tablespoon ground cardamom
• 3 tablespoons rose water
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• ½ cup butter or 100 g
• 1 tin sweetened condensed milk or 397 g

Preparation

Sift the flour and add it to a large saucepan placed over medium heat. Toss flour and stir continuously until golden brown. Remove from heat and sift again.
Add water, saffron, sugar, cardamom, rose water, desiccated coconut and half the quantity of butter to a large saucepan. Bring ingredients to boil.
Add the toasted flour gradually to the water while stirring continuously.
Add remaining butter, and stir until well combined. Cover and cook on very low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Add sweetened condensed milk and stir until well combined.
Serve at room temperature with coffee.

LEBANESE SWEETS

                        BAKLAVA

It is an easy to make, mouth-watering traditional lebanon sweet,which makes your stomach rumble just by seeing it. So go ahead and try it!!! 

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 ready-made frozen samosa pattisoil for deep-fryinghoney for drizzling
For The Filling1/2 cup chopped walnuts (akhrot)
1/4 cup soaked and
1/4 cup soaked and
1/4 cup chopped dates (khajur)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (dalchini) powder
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Cut each samosa patti into 3 to get 75 mm. X 62 mm. (3" x 2½") rectangles. You will get 12 pieces in all.
2. Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep-fry the samosa pattis till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.
3. Mix all the ingredients for the filling together and divide into 8 equal portions. Keep aside.
4. Place one samosa patti piece on a flat surface and place one portion of the filling on it taking care to leave the sides clean.
5. Place another piece of samosa patti on top.
6. Put another portion of the filling on it again taking care to leave the sides clean.
7. Top with the third piece of the samosa patti.
8. Repeat with the remaining samosa pattis and filling to make 3 more baklavas.
9. Drizzle honey on top and serve immediately.

                    MA'AMOUL

"Ma'amoul means filled in Arabic. These are very popular in Lebanon but can be found throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  several variations for the fillings. This one has a pistachio filling, but you can use almonds or walnuts too."

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups semolina 
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cup melted ghee 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 
• 1 tbsp. orange blossom water
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• warm milk to the dough
• FILLING (choose one of these):
• dates FILLING
• 1cup pitted dates
• 2 tbsp. soft butter
• walnuts AND pistachios FILLING
• 1/2 pound ground walnuts and pistachios
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. orange blossom water

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Melt the ghee and cool
• To make the filling, put the ingredients into a food processor and blend to a paste.
• Sift all purpose flour and mix with baking powder, semolina and ghee
• Add orange blossom water
• Set aside for about 2 hours resting( covered )
• Form little balls ( if you don't have the special mold) , about 3 cm., make a hole and fill the cookies.
• Place the cookies on non-stick baking sheets, bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden.
• Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. When cool, dust with confectioners sugar.

             MOUHALABIEH OR LEBANESE MILK FLAN

Makes about 8 flans.Ingredients for the "Flans":4 Cups Milk (3.5 % fat)1/2 Cup Cornstarch
3/4 Cups Castor sugar
1 Tbs Orange blossom water
1 Handful pistacchios, roasted and chopped

Ingredients for the "Syrup":

4 Tbs water
2 Hibiscus flowers (optional)
2 Tbs Rosewater
8 tbs Castor sugar
Method for the "Flans":

1. In a medium pan, mix together the milk, sugar and cornstarch. Whisk well until the cornstarch has been disolved.
2. While constantly whisking the mixture, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Once the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat and add the orange blossom water.
4. Pour the mixture into the small flan moulds.
5. Set aside, in the refrigerator, for about 3 hours.Method for the "Syrup":

6. Very briefly boil the water and add the hibiscus flowers.
7. Remove from the heat and let infuse for about 30 minutes.
8. Mix together the hibiscus water, sugar and rose water, then bring to the boil and remove from the heat once the sugar has been entirely dissolved.
9. Serve imediately with the flans or let cool and put in the refrigerator in order to serve cold over the flans.

 

                                

                    Sfouf

 

 

 

It is a sweet almond cake from Lebanon. This sfouf recipe is easy and delicious!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups semolina
• 1 cup flour plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup salted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespooons
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl combine semolina, flour, turmeric and baking powder. Stir to combine well.

In a separate bowl combine butter, sugar, milk, and water. Add to dry ingredients and stir to make a paste.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes and serve with your favorite coffee or tea.

 

 

  AWAMAT-Crisp Doughnut Balls

 

 

 

 

These sweet treats from Lebanon are perfect for any occassion. Small balls of dough are fried to a golden browned crisp and then coated with simple syrup. Make sure you make enough of these to go around - there is no way you can eat just one!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• olive oil for frying
• simple syrup

Preparation:

In a large bowl mix pastry flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Slowly add water until dough forms. Knead well. Spoon dough by the teaspoon full and form ball shape with hands.
In a frying pan, add olive oil, enough so that dough will be submersed. Heat oil until hot. A good tip for testing the heat of oil is to place the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If you see small bubbles form around the spoon then oil is hot.

Carefully place dough into oil, only a few at a time. When dough is cooked it will rise to the top of the oil and be golden brown. Remove from oil and place on plate covered with paper towel to cool and absorb excess oil.

Once dough is cooked and slightly cooled, toss and coat in simple syrup. Serve immediately.


                         

Caraway Pudding (Caraway or Meghli)

               MEGHLI

This pudding is a traditional sweet served usually in an after-delivery baby shower; hence it has many benefits for the new mommy. But, this pudding is also served any time during the year, especially in winter, since most people like to have it warm, in addition that caraway has calming effect in spasms and flatulence (which occurs more in winter). Caraway pudding is usually made with either semolina flour or rice flour; added to it Caraway powder, and spiced with some cinnamon and anise.

Ingredients:
1 1/1 cups pounded rice
8 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp caraway seed
1 tbsp anise seed
1/4 tsp powdered ginger

Methods:
Pound rice in a mortar until fine and powdery. Pound spices separately. Mix rice with two cups water. Add sugar, caraway and anise. Add it to the remaining six cups of water, which should be boiling. Add ginger. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture coats the spoon. About an hour of cooking, at least, is required.
Pour into individual serving dishes. Decorate with blanched almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and coconut.

            Milk Ice Cream
          BOUZA BI HALEEB

This is an Authentic Lebanese Recipe

Ingredients
1 qt. milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. sahlab (cornflower)
1/4 tsp. mustikah (gum arabic)
1 tsp. ma'es zahr (orange blossom essence)

Middle Eastern hostesses sprinkle chopped pistachio nuts over this ice cream when

serving it to guests.

Method

Dissolve sahlab in one cup of milk. Bring the rest of the milk to a boil with the sugar. Add the cold milk and starch mixture slowly to the hot milk, stirring constantly. Pulverize the mustikah and mix with several teaspoons of sugar. Add to the cooking milk mixture. Boil gently over low fire for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from fire. Stir occasionally while cooking. Flavor with ma'ez zahr. Freeze either in crank type freezer or in refrigerator trays. When mixture is frozen in refrigerator trays it should be removed and beaten three times during freezing to break up ice crystals. Just before serving, take the trays of ice cream from the freezer unit and allow to rest several minutes in the chilling part of the refrigerator.

RIZ BI HALEEB

Here is another rice pudding loved by Lebanese children.

Ingredients
1 qt. milk
3/4 cup rice
1 1/4cups sugar
1/2 tsp. ma'el ward (rose water)
1/2 tsp. ma'ez zahr (orange blossom essence)
1/4 tsp. powdered mustikah (gum Arabic)
1 cup cold water

Method

Wash rice well in several waters to remove loose starch. Add cold water and rice to milk which has been brought to the boil. Boil for half an hour over a medium flame. Stir well and gradually turn up the cooking flame. When pudding has thickened add the sugar, rose water and orange blossom essence. Continue boiling until bubbles break through the pudding. Pour into individual serving dishes. Decorate in the traditional manner with a design of blanched almonds, pistachio nuts or pine nuts.