The best Turkish Künefe

The best Turkish Künefe

Few desserts are as unforgettable as künefe! When it is described ( cheese-filled pastry with sweet syrup?!)… it may sound odd! When you see it, (crispy bird’s nest exterior.)…it may look like a strange dessert! But when you try it… it is undeniably and unforgettably delicious!

Turkish Künefe (K’nafeh / Kunafa / كنافة‎ )  is one of those to-die-for desserts! Baklava and Künefe are certainly the desserts from Turkey enjoying huge worldwide popularity..

Crisp -hot – buttery, light noodle-like pastry ( kadayif / kataifi), with a filling of unsalted stretchy cheese and sweetened with syrup. This dessert is served as soon as it is made, giving you that flaky-crisp texture on the outside while the filling is warm and melty.. The cool sweet syrup is poured over the hot pastry and OMG – YUM is what your ‘happy shocked brain is telling you as you are hit with that combo!

This recipe is made on the stovetop in shallow cake pans or Künefe pans. You can use any similar aluminum pans of a similar shape.

Which is the Best Cheese for Künefe?

The type of cheese you use is an extremely vital aspect of this recipe. Turkish cheese used for Künefe is fresh, with virtually no salt, and with perfectly stringy-melting qualities. It may sound like mozzarella, but it isn’t.

In Turkey, only local fresh cheese is used. The name generally bears the name of the region from which it originates. Hatay, Antep, Urfa, etc… Each cheese(peyniri) is usually unique to that region and not found in other regions. Since Künefe originated from the Hatay region, the cheese from this region is splendid to use.

Although Akkawi (Israel origin, popular in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Eygpt) or Nabulsia(Palestinian origin) are used in other traditional recipes, many people use unsalted mozzarella, but for me, after trying so many cheeses. I am a firm believer that, you need white-colored unsalted or very low salt, stretchy cheese, for this recipe to make your eyes pop out at first bite!

Therefore my choice is Turkish String Cheese, called Dil Peyniri.  It is mild and stringy and has little, sometimes no salt. If you have the lightly salted type, you can just rinse the blocks/ slabs or leave them in water for one hour and then drain them. 

Dil Peyniri is a traditional Turkish cheese made from cow’s milk around the cities of Bilecik and Bursa. The cheese is fresh, white, and it has a stringy texture, similar to mozzarella. The flavors are all mild be it milky, sweet, or slightly salty. Dil is typically sold in a rectangular log or tubular shape. Fresh Dil Peyniri(Cheese) is usually served for breakfast, and if it comes in a braided version, that is’ Orgu peyniri’.

If you can only find or must use Mozzarella, use unsalted or less salted fresh mozzarella after rinsing the block a few times. Grate the cheese and do not buy grated mozzarella ( used for pizza topping), it gives terrible results for Künefe!

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Turkish Künefe (The best!)

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Watch the Video or click to read Complete Recipe – Below. 

What is Kadaif / Kataifi or Kunafa Pastry?

Kadaiaf (Kadayif), or Kataifi in Greek is a type of filo pastry, used to make Künefe. It is however different from Filo sheets, which are made from super thinly stretched dough. Kadaif is actually a batter that is thinly piped onto hot metal plates, which creates thin strands of pastry, resembling angel-hair spaghetti

Where filo pastry sheets are made from kneaded dough – stretched to thin sheets, kadayif is made from a batter dripped onto a hot metal plate or pan. This creates very thin strands of cooked dough, much like a soft angel-hair spaghetti.

Origin of Künefe:

Künefe has been around for many centuries and is very much loved in Lebanon, Israel, Algeria, Egypt, and Turkey but a lot of people including culinary experts strongly believe that it has its origin in Syria.

Legend has it that the first Künefe/ Kanafeh was made in  Damascus, Syria in the 7^th century by the first Caliph(Religious Ruler) of the Umayyad Dynasty.  It’s said that he’d usually ask his cook to make a dish that was great or rich enough for the Ramadan fasting period.

The name of the dish varies from country to country. Knafeh, konafa, kunefe, kenafe, knefeh, and kunafa. The root is “kanaf”, an Arabic word meaning; ‘to shelter’ or ‘to protect’. It refers to the crisp Kadaif layers protecting the soft, melty filling.

Palestine is also very often referred to as the cradle of the ‘knafeh’.

How to serve Künefe

Serve Künefe just on its own… it’s fabulous!  Other common combinations are clotted cream or Ice cream. I like it with Pistachio Gelato…  Oooh so yummy together!! Or just have it with some Turkish Coffee and that’s fab too.  At my place, it is usually served after dinner, so a small scoop of Pistachio ice cream or Gelato is always a welcome treat! The Künefe is best served straight from the stove-top, after drizzling with the cool syrup! The texture inside and outside is at its best when freshly made!

What is the Pan used for making Künefe?

Aluminum shallow pans are usually used for making Künefe.  These are called Kunafa plates or Kataifi Pans. Gaziantep Hatay Plates are specially made in Turkey and shipped all over the world. You can use a large baking sheet if made in the oven. The Kunafa plates come in several sizes. It can be a single serving to 6-8 serving size. When making the Kunefe on the stove-top, which yields better texture, it is recommended that you use smaller plates for even cooking without burning.

How to make Best Turkish Künefe  – Recipe at a glance:

• Make the simple sugar syrup and allow it to cool off completely. This may be done well ahead of time.
•  Shred and butter the pastry.
• Place on flat aluminum pans in one layer.
• Fill with the fresh cheese, crumbled or grated.
• Place another layer of the buttery pastry shreds on top and cover the filling well.
• Cook on the stovetop as in the directions available on the Turkish Künefe recipe page.
• Cook both sides till the strands become crisp and golden.
• Pour cool syrup over the hot dessert and serve!

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Ingredients:

• 454 gms (16 oz) Kadaif/ Kataifi / Kunafa Pastry
• 250 gms Turkish, low salt, fresh string cheese (See intro page for details on the cheese used)
• 200 gms melted Unsalted butter, plus some for brushing the pans
• 3/4 cup raw, unsalted -Pistachio Kernels
• Optional: Pistachio or Vanilla ice cream for serving

Sugar Syrup:

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup purified water
• 3/4 Tbsp freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
• 3 Cloves

 I am using 2  Kunefe plates, each will serve 6.  The ingredients are divded between the batches while assembling. If you are using a large baking sheet or pan, adjust timing accordingly. 

Same Video is available on the Recipe page⇑.

ON LAPTOP, It is recommended that you open the recipe page and keep this page going if you like to WATCH / LISTEN to the video alongside the written instructions.

Key Ingredients: Kunafa Pastry(Kataifi), Unslated Cheese, Unsalted Butter, Sugar, Lemon, Spice.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – The best Turkish Künefe