My first walim cooking club challenge was the basbousa ,this kind of sweet is very well known almost in all the middle East and there are many kinds, different tastes and different flavors, but at the end they have the same main in ingredients .
the challenge was Egyptian basbousa from the lovely lady Chahira El khabira
The ingredients:-
2 and half cups of fine Semolina flourA half cup of all purpose flour
1 and half TBLSof baking powder.
A half cup of coconut
A 3/4 cup of ghee " natural ghee" or you can use butter instead of it but you have to make it one full cup "softened at room temperature".
1tsp of vanilla.
One cup of yogurt.
Half cup of sugar.
For the syrup:-
2 and half cups of sugar
2 and half cups of water
1 tbls of lemon juice.
vanilla
Tahini and some butter to grease the baking tray.
How to prepare it:-
Mix the semolina- flour- baking powder- coconut- sugar- butter or ghee- yogurt- vanilla, mix it well with your hands.Just to feel the batter and to enjoy it as I always do.Grease very well your baking tray with a mix of butter and tahini, you can use just Tahini.Pour your basbouusa dough and spread it using your hand to cover and fit your baking tray.Garnish it with nuts and candied cherries, it is up to you, Take care and insert your nuts or fruits very well by pushing it down.
Keep your basbouusa tray for 6 or 7 hours before baking it.
To prepare the syrup:-
In a pan put the sugar with the water , on the stove stir it until the sugar crystals dissappear then let the spoon and add the lemon juice, let it boil till it reaches the thread point stage , add some vanilla . Keep it warm when pouring it over the basbouusa tray, it should be hot too.
Bake basboussa in a preheated oven on 230C or from middle to middle high temp.
Pour the warm or hot syrup over the hot basbouusa tray
enjoy
