Levantine cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Karabij Halab

Aleppo semolina balls with pistachio filling, served on snow-white natef cream made from soap-root.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 300 g durum semolina
• 150 g butter
• 200 g pistachios
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water
• 3 tbsp rose water
• 20 g soap-root (shirsh al-halaweh, or 2 egg whites instead)
• 250 g sugar for the syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Soak the soap-root overnight in 400 ml water, then simmer gently with the soaking water for 45 min. until about 150 ml of strongly foaming liquid remains; strain it and let cool.
2. For the dough, melt the butter, combine with the semolina, a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp orange blossom water, and let the mixture swell covered for 30 min. until it can be shaped into balls.
3. For the filling, finely grind 150 g pistachios and mix with 100 g sugar and 1 tbsp rose water into a kneadable paste.
4. Shape walnut-sized balls from the semolina dough, hollow them with your thumb, place 1 tsp pistachio paste inside, close them back up and bake in the oven preheated to 180 °C for 20–22 min. until the underside is golden brown.
5. For the natef, cook 250 g sugar with 120 ml water and the lemon juice into a thick syrup, pour the hot syrup in a thin stream into the whipped soap-root liquid and keep beating for 10–12 min. until a firm, snow-white cream forms; finally fold in the remaining rose water.
6. Arrange the cooled balls on a mound of natef, sprinkle with the remaining chopped pistachios and serve immediately, as the cream collapses over time.