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Kunafa is a classic Arabic dessert of crispy shredded phyllo pastry layered with creamy cheese filling and soaked in rose and orange blossom-scented sugar syrup. This stovetop version skips the oven for a perfectly golden, crunchy exterior cooked entirely on the stove in 30 minutes.
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Start by making the cream filling. Heat milk, sugar in a pan to a boiling point. Mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp of cold milk until it is mixed. Pour this into the boiling hot milk and mix well until it thickens. Add in condensed milk, vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of the cheese and mix until cheese is melted. Set aside to cool.
Now make sugar syrup. Take sugar, water in a sauce pan and bring it to a full boil. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes until it gets slightly syrupy. Take it off the heat, add in rose and orange water and mix well. Remove it off heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
For Kadayif, take shredded phyllo pastry in a bowl, Cut it into small pieces using a scissors. Add in the melted butter and mix it well into the phyllo. This helps hydrate the phyllo so it gets crispy.
Now take a pan in which we are going to make kunafa. Apply softened butter in a sauté pan, spread little more than half of the phyllo on the base of pan. Press it firmly so it creates a thick shell like. Now spread the cream filling in the center. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese and press it into the cream. Now top with remaining phyllo and press gently to coat.
Now place the pan on low to medium heat on stove. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat, until the bottom gets super crispy. Once the bottom is crispy, place a plate on top and gently invert the pan. Drizzle more butter or ghee on the pan, slide the kunafa over the ghee or butter and cook for another 15 minutes on low heat until golden. Now remove the kunafa to a high sided plate.
Pour the warm syrup on top of kunafa slowly so it absorbs the syrup. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Serve immediately.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Kunafa is best served immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days and reheated gently in a low oven, though crispness will diminish.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Yes. Akkawi, ricotta, or queso fresco work as substitutes for mozzarella. Avoid hard cheeses; use soft, mild varieties that melt smoothly into the cream filling.
You can omit them, but they are key to authentic kunafa flavor. If unavailable, try 1/4 teaspoon each of vanilla extract or almond extract as alternatives.
Ensure you cook on low to medium heat for the full 15 minutes and press the phyllo firmly into the pan at the start. Skipping the butter on the base or using high heat prevents proper crisping.
Best served immediately after the syrup is poured. You can prepare the cream filling and syrup up to 4 hours ahead, then assemble and cook just before serving.
Cook on low heat for 15 minutes until the bottom is deeply golden and crispy. Shake the pan gently—if it moves freely, it's ready to flip onto a plate.
