kanafa (this)
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13-inch pan |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) box shredded phyllo dough (kataifi)
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 12 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon rose water (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Prepare kanafa: Finely chop frozen, shredded phyllo dough using a food processor until the strands are about the size of a grain of rice. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together ricotta, mozzarella, and sugar in a separate bowl.
- Place butter in a large, microwave-safe liquid measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Heat in a microwave until completely melted, and let it sit for several minutes until a thick white foam has formed on top. Clarify butter by using a spoon to skim off the foam.
- Carefully pour butter into the bowl of phyllo dough. Avoid pouring in the white milk solids at the bottom of the clarified butter. Use your hands to mix butter and dough together. Make sure butter is absorbed by taking handfuls of the dough and rubbing it between your palms.
- Evenly spread buttered phyllo dough into a 9×13-inch pan and firmly press it into the bottom and edges. Spread cheese mixture onto the dough, avoiding the edges of the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is slightly golden and the edges of dough are brown and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes.
- While the kanafa is baking, prepare the syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture turn golden and caramelize. Remove from heat and add rose water; set aside.
- Remove kanafa from the oven. Place a large platter or baking sheet over the baking dish. Using oven mitts, carefully invert the baking dish onto the platter so phyllo is on top. Pour syrup over kanafa. Cut into pieces and serve while hot.
- Shredded phyllo dough (kataifi) is available in the freezer section in many grocery stores.
Reviews
I’m Jordanian decent. Both my parents were from Ammen, Jordan. I come from a very large family, all of my siblings were born here in the States. As a little girl growing up, we loved gatherings, because there was always that one cousin, aunt, or uncle that would make this delicious dessert. Now, as an adult, I can do the same thing for my family, and give them the same feeling I once felt as a kid 🙂 Glad to see this recipe more accessible to anyone that peeks interest to this delight.
It was alright but next time I will add more mozzarella cheese for that gooey essence that knefeh should have and will substitute butter for ghee and will probably use less than the recipe as I found the butter taste to be more than it should. I also layered it so I put cheese filling in between two phyllo dough layers. I got a nice crispy crust on top.
This was such a rich dessert but very tasty recipe. I also used sweet cheese opposed to mozzarella to make it a bit more authentic
I omitted the dye and I used clarified butter in the phyllo with a 1/4 cup of milk, and a Tbsp of butter to line the pan. I also used only one cup of ricotta to two cups of cheese.
Loved it! Was a great hit with everyone.
Delicious. I think the recipe has some extra sugar, but that didn’t hurt.
I made this recipe as directed. The only difference was that I accidentally bought a whole 8oz mozzarella cheese and I ordered the Kanafa dye on Amazon. I shredded the cheese and it worked out just fine. I found another recipe that said to add 1tsp of dye to the butter, this also worked well and it gave it a pretty color. I found it to taste great and just like I remember in Nablus. Thank you.
I love this recipe. But I have a question. The list of ingredients calls for 1/3, then 1 cup of sugar. The 1/3 cup gets mixed into the cheese. Check. Then 1/2 cup gets melted into syrup. Check. What happens to the final 1/2 cup?
This was a great base recipe! I used the Nabulsi cheese and ghee, clarified butter, in the place of the butter. If you want get the beautiful red color add the Knafeh dye to the melted butter so the color will be evenly distributed. Next time I am going to try adding orange blossom water to the syrup as well.
Delish! It’s so easy and soooo good! I make this in muffin pans to make 36 individual servings and top them with ground pistachios. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Very tasty! I always refer to this recipe. Thank you.
This was easier than I thought. I also used orange blossom water (I like it better than the rose). My 9 year old daughter made the suggestion of aking the syrup with honey if I use the orange blossom water again. Sounds good and will give that a try. Also I found the sweet cheese traditionally used in this dish at a Middle Eastern grocery, will also give that a try.
I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t find rose water. Perhaps if I had been able to find all of the ingredients it would have been better. Don’t bother trying this recipe unless you have ALL of the ingredients!
For me, the kataifi was not proportionate to the amount of cheese. I would possibly increase the amount of cheese by one third to get a nice amount of cheese in every bite. I was worried about making the syrup bitter and took it off the stove too soon.
Very good, almost exactly like what I ate while visiting Jordan.
great recipe you can use ghee instead of butter
Eating this was pure evilness. I can’t even explain how amazing this is. It’s sweet and cheesy and buttery and crunchy and gooey. And evil. I added sweet cheese to the filling, about a half pound chopped up. It’s found in middle eastern groceries. And I added pistachios to the top…bottom? Walnuts that are toasted well in the baking process are a delicious and cheaper alternative to pistachios if you choose to add nuts. Spread the chopped nuts, about 1/2 cup, on the bottom of the baking dish before the first layer of kataifi. And add some red food dye to the syrup for a beautiful presentation or holiday event. Do not skip the rose water. I have made this with orange blossom water and rose water combined and the taste is incredible, too. It’s hard to find kataifi, even in all the international grocers in ATL. But the search is WELL WORTH IT!
It was great! I used orange blossom water instead of rose water and added a little more Nablusi cheese because I like my Kanafi a little more firm. This was also my first time making it and didn’t know how to add the powdered kanafi food coloring and ended up adding too much because before it cooks it looks like an odd red color instead of the bright orange it turns while baking. That info would have been much appreciated, but otherwise a good recipe.
I’m Palestinian and love your recipe ,i agree
Its great , just make sure you use the shredded dough n then shread it in small grain size .i made a mistake by using the regular dough n shredding it, though the taste was awesome ,the texture was completly messed up.
MMM delicious!! make sure you serve it with chopped pistachios!