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Kunafa with Cheese
Shredded kataifi pastry crisped in butter around a molten cheese centre, drenched in orange-blossom syrup and showered with pistachio. From Nablus to Beirut it is the celebration dessert of Ramadan nights — serve it hot, while the cheese still pulls.
Desserts · Arab / Levant · Ready in 45 minutes · Serves 8
Kunafa with Cheese comes from Arab / Levant and belongs on the desserts table. The quantities below are written for 8 servings and scale cleanly: double them for a family iftar or halve them for a quiet suhoor for two, keeping the proportions — and especially the seasoning — in the same balance. It is tagged celebration, serve-hot, syrup.
Dessert is Ramadan's small celebration after taraweeh, and this one is made to be shared: prepare it earlier in the day, when the kitchen is calm, and let the evening be for people rather than pans. A little goes a long way after a full iftar.
Timing matters in a Ramadan kitchen, and this recipe asks for 45 minutes from start to finish. Work backwards from the moment you want to serve: beginning 45 minutes earlier — plus five unhurried minutes for plating — lands it on the table exactly when it should arrive, neither rushed nor waiting. For a gathering, multiply every quantity by the number of guests divided by 8, round spices down very slightly on large batches, and taste before serving — big pots season differently from small ones.
Serve dessert after taraweeh rather than with iftar itself: a pause between the meal and the sweet course makes both taste better, and small portions served in small bowls satisfy more than large ones at that hour. Keep the dessert refrigerated, covered, and bring it to cool room temperature shortly before serving.
Ingredients
- 400 g kataifi pastry
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 400 g mozzarella or akkawi cheese
- 250 g sugar
- 200 ml water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- 30 g crushed pistachios
Method
- Make the syrup first: boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes, add the lemon juice and orange blossom water, then cool completely — cold syrup on hot kunafa keeps it crisp.
- If using akkawi, soak it in changes of water to remove salt; grate or crumble the cheese and pat it dry.
- Shred the kataifi into short strands with your hands, pour over the melted butter and toss until every strand is coated.
- Press two-thirds of the pastry firmly into a buttered round pan, spread the cheese over it leaving a small border, and cover with the remaining pastry, pressing the edges down.
- Cook on the stovetop over low heat for about 15 minutes, rotating the pan, until the base is deep golden — or bake at 190°C for 25–30 minutes.
- Flip onto a serving plate, pour the cold syrup over the hot kunafa, and scatter with pistachios.
- Rest 5 minutes, cut into wedges and serve immediately.
Tips
- Dry cheese is essential: wet mozzarella leaks and makes the base soggy, so squeeze it well.
- A tiny pinch of orange food colouring in the butter gives the classic bakery look, if you like.