Kunefe (Sweet Cheese Kadayif Dessert)
Crisp, buttery kadayif threads hiding a layer of molten, stretchy cheese, all drenched in lemon-scented syrup — kunefe is the Turkish dessert you have to eat hot, and it is far easier to make at home than it looks.
Ask Bio about this recipe
Ingredients
400g fresh kadayif pastry threads, finely chopped
175g unsalted butter, melted
300g unsalted stretchy cheese (Turkish string cheese, soaked in cold water for 20-30 minutes and shredded)
400g granulated sugar, for the syrup
300ml water, for the syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp finely ground pistachios, to garnish
Kaymak (clotted cream), to serve
Instructions
- 1
Make the syrup first: simmer the sugar and water for 10 minutes, stir in the lemon juice, simmer 2 more minutes, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
- 2
Chop the kadayif threads into roughly 1-2cm pieces, pour over the melted butter and work it through with your hands until every strand is coated.
- 3
Press half of the buttered kadayif firmly and evenly into a 24-26cm non-stick frying pan, going slightly up the sides.
- 4
Scatter the soaked, shredded cheese over the middle, leaving a 1-2cm border, then cover with the remaining kadayif and press down firmly with the back of a spoon.
- 5
Cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pan now and then, until the underside is deep golden — lift an edge with a spatula to check.
- 6
Place a large flat plate over the pan, confidently flip the kunefe onto it, then slide it back into the pan and cook the second side for another 8-10 minutes until golden and the cheese has melted.
- 7
With the pan off the heat, pour the room-temperature syrup evenly over the hot kunefe — it will bubble — and let it soak for 2-3 minutes.
- 8
Scatter generously with ground pistachios and serve immediately, while the cheese still stretches, with a spoonful of kaymak on top.
Kunefe comes from the Hatay region on Turkey's southern border, where it is cooked to order in small copper trays and rushed to the table while the cheese still pulls into long, glossy strings. The magic is in the contrast: shredded kadayif pastry toasted golden in butter on the outside, unsalted melting cheese on the inside, and a cool syrup poured over the hot pan so it hisses and soaks in.
Two things make or break kunefe at home. First, the cheese must be unsalted and stretchy — in Turkey it is fresh Hatay cheese, but rinsed and shredded Turkish string cheese works beautifully in a UK kitchen. Soak it in cold water for 20-30 minutes to draw out the salt, changing the water once. Second, the syrup should be at room temperature when it meets the hot pastry; hot syrup on hot kunefe turns it soggy.
You do not need a copper tray. A 24-26cm non-stick frying pan or two smaller pans over medium-low heat do the job, and everything you need — fresh kadayif, Turkish string cheese, proper butter and pistachios — is delivered to your door by Turkish Online Market. Serve it straight from the pan with a spoonful of kaymak (clotted cream) and a tiny cup of Turkish coffee.
More recipes
DessertsAy Coregi (Turkish Crescent Pastries with Cocoa Filling)
Soft, golden crescent pastries filled with a rich cocoa, walnut and vanilla paste — the beloved Turkish bakery classic you can easily bake at home in the UK.
DessertsUn Kurabiyesi (Melt-in-the-Mouth Flour Cookies)
Four-ingredient Turkish shortbread cookies that dissolve on the tongue: butter, powdered sugar, flour and a little starch, dusted generously with icing sugar.
DessertsMagnolia (Biscuit & Pudding Dessert Cups)
Istanbul's favourite dessert cup: silky vanilla pudding layered with crushed biscuits, fresh banana and whipped cream, chilled until spoonably soft.
DessertsMozaik Pasta (Chocolate Biscuit Cake)
The no-bake chocolate biscuit log every Turkish household grew up with: crushed petit beurre biscuits folded into a rich cocoa mixture, chilled and sliced into a mosaic pattern.
