Eid Delight: Exploring the Art of Making Kunafa with a Creative Touch

Jugnu Gupta 

Pune, 8th April 2024: Kunafa is a popular Middle Eastern dessert soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar and typically layered with cheese, clotted cream, pistachios, or nuts.

I made a Kunafa dessert using soft and thin sevai instead of the traditional spun pastry called kataifi.

I highly recommend trying out this recipe to celebrate Eid.

Ingredients⬇️

For Cream⬇️

Milk-250 ml 1 cup

Sugar- 2 tbsp

Cornflour- 2 tbsp

Vanilla Essence-1/4 tsp

Cream Cheese- 100 gms

For Syrup⬇️

Water- 1/2 Cup

Sugar- 1/2

Lemon Juice- 1/2 tsp

Rose Water – 1 tsp (optional)

For sevai (Vermicelli) Base⬇️

Sevai / Vermicelli (soft and very thin) – 250 gms

Butter- 1/2 Cup (salted or unsalted)

Pistachio Powder for Garnishing

Method⬇️

-In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar, and cornflour. Mix well and keep the flame off.

-After mixing everything properly, turn on the flame on low and stir continuously to avoid lumps until the mixture starts to thicken.

-Add cream cheese stir on low flame until melted. Remove and keep aside.

-To prepare a Sugar Syrup, take water in a saucepan and add sugar to it. Bring it to boil and then reduce the heat to low. Add lemon juice and cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Add rose water. Cover the saucepan and let it sit aside.

-Crush the vermicelli with your hands, then add in melted butter and mix until well combined and butter is evenly coated.

-Grease the heavy-bottomed pan. Then, take half of the sevai and firmly press them onto the pan using a hard-based bowl or plate. This will create a firm base for your dish and ensure even cooking. Pour the cream mixture on the sevai and spread it out evenly except on the edges as there are chances it may stick in the pan. Cover with remaining sevai.

-To cook Sevai without turning it black, cook it on a low flame for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Then, place a black tava on the stove and put the frying pan on it. Let it cook for 10 minutes on low flame.

-Flip the kunafa very carefully and keep it on low flame and cook for atleast 10 minutes like first side.

-When the kunafa is done, evenly pour the sugar syrup on it as required and garnish it with pistachio powder.

(Jugnu Gupta is a chef, epicure, food consultant, influencer, blogger and recipe developer trained at Le Cordon Bleu Institutes, London and Paris. Visit her Instagram profile @taste_palate and website www.tastepalate.in for more recipes)