BAKLAWA

Lebanese baklawa is layered phyllo pastry, chopped nuts and sugar syrup. There are over ten variations (shapes/nuts/sizes) but my favorite type are the Asabeh baklawa. As the name stipulates and strangely enough, they look like very appetizing fingers. 

I had an ingredient paradigm shift when researching Asabeh baklawa. Chatting with a friend, she mentioned cashew nuts were used as the stuffing. I responded explaining that it must be pine seeds since we rarely use cashew nuts in our baking. That evening, I went through my mom’s traditional Lebanese recipe book and low and behold, I saw cashew nuts. I then flipped over a box of baklawa I had in the kitchen and saw cashew nuts again. Still not convinced, I prepped the ingredients, grounded the cashew nuts, rolled the phyllo pastry and baked the baklawa and finally took a bite… with a quick shift, I finally confirmed, it was cashew nuts! 

The swing on the taste pendulum of baklawa is vast. They are either exceptional (Hallab) or a disaster (complimentary sweets you’re offered). In Lebanon, the best baklawa house is Hallab, which has been serving sweets since 1881. They have several locations across Lebanon but the most convenient location is in the airport.  When departing Beirut’s airport, I always have a Hallab box full of delicious fingers in tow.  

If you’re not living in Lebanon, or don’t have friends traveling to and from, this recipe will suffice until you can get your hands on some Hallab baklawa. 

The perfect Asabeh baklawa crunches when you bite into it but still maintains its softness from the sugar syrup. Crunchy but soft, what a familiar expectation. She should be modern but still traditional. Sporty but still feminine. Independent but still accommodating to her partners needs…

Another taste touch point for Asabeh baklawa is, taste. Because the baklawa is drenched in syrup, it’s easy to loose other flavors. Ask yourself, do I just taste the taste of sweet, or do I actually taste the baked phyllo pastry and roasted nuts. 

Initially baklawa looks intimidating, but with ready-made phyllo pastry accessible in most supermarkets, baking Lebanese baklawa is quite simple. 

PRINT

DETAILS

A traditional Lebanese dessert everyone will feel nostalgic about. Phyllo pastry, ground nuts and sugar syrup. A prep time of 30 minutes and cook time of 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pack phyllo/ baklawa sheets

• 2 cups melted butter

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• 1 cup ground cashew nuts

• 1 cup water

• 2 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons rose water 

• 1 teaspoon lemon

METHOD

Syrup

1. In a small deep pot, dissolve the sugar and water over medium heat.

2. Once dissolved, increase the heat to high, and let the mixture boil (without stirring) until white foam appears on the surface.  

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil for 20 minutes. After which, add the lemon.

4. Keep boiling at medium-low until the sugar and water transform into a thick syrup texture.

5. Add the rose water and boil for 1 minute, still at medium low and remove from the heat. 

Baklawa

1. Preheat your oven to 200 decrees Celsius.

2. Dampen a kitchen towel.

3. Open the pack of phyllo sheets and wrap them up in the damp kitchen towel. 

4. Take a phyllo sheet and place it on a work surface.

5. Place a barbecue skewer 1 cm from the edge of the sheet (the longer side).

6. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the ground cashew nut and sugar mixture along the skewer.

7. Flip over the edge of the sheet and start rolling with the skewer still intact, to form a long ‘spring roll’. 

8. Hold the end of the skewer and the middle of the rolled baklawa and place in a rectangular baking trey. 

9. Cover the rolled baklawa with a damp kitchen towel as well.

10. Repeat the above until your baking trey is full.

11. Take a pizza cutter and cut the rolled baklawa into bite-sized fingers. 

12. Brush the baklawa with melted butter 3 times. 

13. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. 

14. Remove from the oven and let the baklawa cool for 5 minutes. 

15. If you like your baklawa crunchy, brush the baklawa with syrup just before serving, 3 times.  If you like your baklawa soft, brush the baklawa when hot with syrup, 5 times. 

I read and reply to all comments. So please do share your thoughts about the recipe.

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM