Knafeh Nabulsieh — Print Recipe

A thin layer of fine semolina dough encasing hot, stretchy Nabulsi cheese, soaked in sweet rose-scented syrup and topped with crushed pistachios. The ultimate Jordanian street dessert, served warm and gooey.

Ingredients

2 cups fine semolina
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tbsp rose water
Orange food coloring (optional)
400g Nabulsi cheese, desalted and shredded
200g mozzarella, shredded
For syrup: 2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp rose water
1 tbsp orange blossom water
Crushed pistachios for garnish

Instructions

1 Make syrup first: boil sugar, water, and lemon juice for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, add rose water and orange blossom water. Cool completely.
2 Mix fine semolina with melted butter, rose water, and optional food coloring until evenly combined and the mixture resembles wet sand.
3 Press half the semolina mixture firmly into a buttered round baking pan, creating a compact, even base layer.
4 Mix desalted Nabulsi cheese with mozzarella. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the semolina base in an even layer.
5 Cover cheese with remaining semolina mixture, pressing gently but firmly to create a smooth top. The layers should be compact.
6 Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden. Immediately pour cold syrup over the hot dessert, invert onto a plate, and top with crushed pistachios.

Did You Know?

In Amman, the most famous knafeh shops have queues stretching around the block during Ramadan, with some families sending designated runners to secure their nightly portion.