Künefe (Crispy Cheese Pastry in Syrup)
کنافہ (شیرے والی کرکری پنیر پیسٹری)
Künefe is the dessert people travel for: crisp, golden strands of pastry soaked in butter, a layer of soft, stretchy cheese in the middle, and hot syrup poured over the moment it leaves the pan. It's a speciality of Hatay in southern Turkey and is eaten hot, when the cheese still pulls in long strings. Kadayıf is hard to find in Pakistan, but fine roasted seviyan gives a surprisingly good result, and mozzarella mixed with a little paneer stands in for the Turkish cheese.
- ⏱ Total: 45 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Make the syrup: boil the sugar and water in a for 8 minutes, add the lemon juice and keep it warm.
Pull the kadayıf strands apart and chop them into 1–2 cm pieces (if using vermicelli, break it into short pieces). Rub in the melted butter with your fingers until every strand is coated.
Press half the kadayıf firmly into a heavy 20–22 cm frying pan. Cover with the grated cheese, leaving a 1 cm border, then press the rest of the kadayıf on top.
Cook over low-medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until the bottom is deep golden. Turn it over onto a plate and slide it back into the pan to cook the other side for 6–8 minutes.
Slide onto a serving plate and immediately pour over the warm syrup. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve at once, while the cheese is still molten.
Kitchen notes
Use unsalted cheese, or soak salty cheese in water for a few hours. Salty cheese clashes with the syrup.
Low heat is important. The cheese needs time to melt before the pastry burns.
Künefe doesn't wait. Cook it just before you plan to eat; it loses its crunch and stretch as it cools.
Hatay’s famous dessert
Künefe comes from Hatay, in the far south of Turkey near Syria, a region known across Turkey for its food. There it’s cooked to order in small round copper pans over charcoal and brought to the table bubbling, with a scoop of clotted cream or pistachios on top.
Three things to get right
Butter the pastry well. Every strand of needs to be coated so it fries to a golden crisp.
Use melting, unsalted cheese. The cheese should melt into long strings and taste mild and milky, a contrast to the sweet syrup.
Syrup at the very end. Pour warm syrup over the hot künefe as it comes out of the pan, so the top stays crisp while the bottom soaks.
In a Pakistani kitchen
Fine roasted seviyan, the kind used for sheer khurma, is an excellent replacement for kadayıf. Fresh mozzarella with a little crumbled paneer gives a good stretch and mild taste. A heavy non-stick frying pan works well for flipping.
Serving
Serve hot, straight away, with chopped pistachios and a glass of Turkish tea. It’s rich, so one pan serves four.
Questions people ask
Does vermicelli really work instead of kadayıf?
Yes. Fine roasted seviyan, coated in butter and pressed firmly, gives a crisp golden crust. It's denser than kadayıf but delicious.
What is the cheese in Turkey?
A soft, unsalted cheese from Hatay that melts and stretches. Fresh mozzarella with a little paneer for body is the closest substitute in Pakistan.
Can I bake it?
Yes. Bake in a buttered round tin at 200°C for 25–30 minutes until golden on top and bottom.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 640
- Protein
- 14 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
