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Koshery Learn the best recipe for one of Egypts signature dishes & one of its favourite Street Foods
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Baklava Rolls
Baklava Rolls
Baklava rolls, are better known in Egypt as Goulash. They’re a beautiful crispy layered filo pastry dessert. Filled with chopped nuts & bathed in a scented syrup, they’re sensational. They’re one of the most popular sweets in Egypt.
Although they look incredibly complex, Baklava Rolls are possibly the easiest sweet pastries to make. You simply buy the pastry ready made. All you have to do is butter, sprinkle and roll. Couldn’t be easier!
Ingredients
- 1 pack of filo pastry
- 250g butter – melted
- 200g chopped nuts – choose whichever nuts are your favourite
For the Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Decoration for your Baklava Rolls
A handful of chopped nuts (optional)
Here’s how to make Baklava Rolls
Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees C
First, let’s make the syrup for your Baklava Rolls
Make the syrup by heating the sugar, water and cinnamon in a saucepan.
Once the liquid comes to the boil, turn the heat right down and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the syrup has the consistency of honey.
*You don’t want the syrup to be too watery because it will make the Baklava go soggy.
Take the syrup off the heat and allow it to cool down to be used later.
Butter your roasting tray
Prepare a large roasting tray for your baklava rolls by buttering the bottom and sides well.
Now for the amazingly micro-thin Filo pastry
Un-wrap your filo pastry and lay it out on your work surface.
Cut the whole pile of pastry down the centre – creating 2 equal piles of pastry 20cm x 30cm .
Put one pile on top of the other one.
*You’ll need to work fast to avoid the pastry drying out and becoming brittle.
Begin buttering up your sheets of Filo Pastry, one by one
Take the top sheet of filo pastry and lay it on the work surface with the narrow edge towards you.
Dab the melted butter on to it – but don’t butter it thoroughly, just dab it.
Take your 2nd sheet of filo pastry and lay it directly on the 1st buttered sheet.
Also dab the melted butter onto this sheet.
Sprinkle a very small handful of nuts over the buttered filo.
Lift the edge of the pastry nearest you & loosely roll it up like a swiss roll.
Lay your baklava rolls tidily in rows in the roasting tray.
Repeat the process
Repeat this process with the remaining pastry.
Carry on buttering, layering, sprinkling and rolling until all your pastry is used up.
Pack the baklava rolls tightly into your roasting tray.
Sprinkle the remaining melted butter over the rolled pastries.
It’s important to cut your Baklava Rolls BEFORE you cook them
Using a sharp knife cut your Baklava Rolls into equal portions.
*It’s really important to cut the Baklava BEFORE it goes into the oven, because once the pastry’s cooked it will become beautifully crispy, so unfortunately it would simply shatter if you tried to cut it then.
Bake your Baklava Rolls until golden brown
Bake your Baklava Rolls in the pre-heated for about 45 minutes until they become a beautiful golden brown.
Bathe your golden brown Baklava Rolls in the fragrant syrup
As soon you take the Baklava Rolls out of the oven, slowly drizzle the cooled syrup over the hot pastries.
Do this a little at a time. Spooning the syrup over gradually gives the pastry a chance to absorb the syrup and stay crisp – if you just throw it on, all at once, the pastry will just go soggy.
Don’t wash up your pan
Don’t start the washing-up just yet.
The little bit of syrup left on the sides of your pan still has an important role.
Toast your nuts
Toast the nuts you are using for decoration in a dry pan (i.e. no oil) just for a minute or so, over a medium flame. Keep stirring them as you do.
Once they’re roasted, toss the nuts into the syrup pan and stir them round so that they get a light coating of syrup.
Decorate
Decorate your beautiful crispy golden baklava by sprinkling the syrup coated nuts over them.
Now for the most difficult part
Yes this is the most difficult part of this whole recipe!
Now, you need to allow your baklava rolls to cool for about an hour before you start eating them.
Enjoy!
- Don’t store your baklava in the fridge because that will make the buttered layers go hard.
Baklava rolls are best served on the same day or the next day (if it lasts that long).
I do hope you try this recipe – you’ll be amazed at just how good they are.
Let me know how you got on & share your photos. We love hearing from you.
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Harissa Chicken; possibly the tastiest chicken ever!
I remember the first time my daughter-in-law made Harissa Chicken for us – I was just blown away. It was absolutely delicious; the chicken is so flavoursome having been marinated in a rich, spicy, red pepper and tomato paste and it tastes like it’s straight out of the smoker.
Harissa is possibly the best loved condiment of the Middle East. It’s well-known for its spicy credentials, but it should be known for so much more than this.
A pizazz of heat comes from the spicy chilli, sweetness from the wonderful roasted red peppers, seductive smokiness thanks to the smoked paprika and the zing of a citrus blast is added to the mix, by the fresh lemon juice. Cumin brings in a slightly sweet, warming slightly nutty flavour. Whilst aniseed has a liquorice flavour that is sweet, mildly spicy, and very aromatic. Some recipes include caraway instead of aniseed, but my personal choice is aniseed.
Harissa is an Amazing Spice Blend
Harissa is a fantastic spice mix to use especially when you’re entertaining. Everyone will want to know what you’ve added to the chicken to create such amazing flavours. A real conversation if ever there was one!
You can buy ready-made Harissa Paste from shops and supermarkets but I prefer to make my own. I make it with a little less chilli than shop-bought varieties, but it still has all the other spice elements to work their magic. If you choose to use shop-bought harissa I would suggest you consider using a little less.
You will only need to use 4 tablespoons of the harissa paste. The rest can be stored in the fridge for about two weeks and used as a condiment . Alternatively it’s wonderful used in dishes such as Shakshuka and Lentil Soup. It can also be added to rice or any stews you make, and every time it’s a winner.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken portions
- 4 tbsp harissa paste
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger – peeled and grated
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large onions – finely chopped
- 1 red pepper – deseeded and sliced into 1 cm strips
- 1 green pepper – deseeded and sliced into 1 cm strips
- 6 large ripe tomatoes – chopped or 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 300ml hot chicken stock
- a large handful of fresh coriander leaves – chopped
- salt and pepper to season
Ingredients for the harissa paste
- 1 jar of chargrilled red peppers
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 fresh red chilli – optional
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp aniseed seeds
- 2 tsp cumin
- 4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- juice of 2 large lemons
- 4 tbsp olive oil + a little more to pour over the sauce later
To add the magic to your Harissa Chicken (optional extra)
This is used if you want to add a sensational smoky flavour
- 3 pieces of charcoal the size of your thumb nail (barbeque wood chips could alternatively be used here)
- a little aluminium foil doubled over and shaped into a shallow bowl about 8cm across
How to prepare your Harissa Chicken
To make the Harissa Paste
Put all the ingredients for the harissa paste into a food processor or blender and blitz them until they form a paste.
Remember you only need 4 tablespoons of this glorious marinade for this recipe. The rest can be stored in a covered jam jar, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can be used as a condiment to perk up your meals or as a marinade for other dishes.
Now to prepare your Harissa Chicken
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the chicken portions and massage it into the meat.
Put the chicken into a large bowl and smother them in the harissa paste. Add the extra chopped garlic and grated ginger and massage them once more. Allow the chicken to marinate in the rich marinade for a couple of hours or over-night if you can, to allow the flavours to be absorbed.
Marinate for at least a couple of hours or over-night if you can
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees
Lay the chopped onions and sliced peppers in a roasted tray along with the tomatoes.
Drizzle oil over the top of them and then turn them over, so that all the vegetables have a light coating of oil.
Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables.
Lay the chicken on top of the vegetables
Lay the marinated chicken on top of the vegetables.
Use cooking foil to cover the roasting tray and seal it, to stop it from drying out during the cooking process.
Cook your Harissa Chicken for about 40 minutes
Put the roasting tray into the oven and let your chicken cook for 40 minutes.
To check that your chicken is cooked thoroughly, insert a knife into the meat – there should be no sign of redness or blood and all the juices should run clear. If this is not the case then return the chicken to the oven for a little longer.
Once the chicken has finished cooking, remove the foil but put it to one side to be used again later.
Five minutes under the grill to turn it a beautiful golden brown
Your chicken now needs its skin to be browned and crisped up, to match its appearance with its amazing flavours.
Drizzle a very light coating of oil onto the chicken, this will assist in the browning process.
Turn your grill on to high and let it warm up for a few minutes before putting your chicken under for about 5 minutes. This should be enough time to allow it to brown slightly, and become a wonderful glowing version of its former self.
Now for the magic
Lay the aluminium foil bowl, that you made, in the roasting tray with the chicken. Pour a few drops of oil into the foil bowl.
Next, hold the charcoal with tongs above a flame and set it alight, when it starts to glow red, blow out the flame and let it smoke. Put the charcoal into the foil bowl with the oil. Quickly cover and seal the roasting tray with foil or a tight fitting lid and let your chicken bask in the smoky aromas for around 10 minutes.
How to serve your glorious Harissa Chicken
Before serving add the fresh coriander to the onions and peppers and gently mix them through.
Harissa chicken is delicious served over a bed of Egyptian Rice with Shareya. To present it, lay the vegetables with the coriander over the rice. Then, top with the glorious chicken, which will be its crowning glory.
Alternatively it’s very popular when included as part of a mezze.
This is definitely one of those meals that will make the taste buds sing for joy!
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Tahini dip / Tahini dressing
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Used for drizzling over tasty grilled meat or salads, much the same as mayonnaise or a salad dressing.
It’s also delicious as a dip. And great as part of a mezze.
tahini is quick to make and involves no cooking.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- juice of ½ large lemon
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- 3 tbsp. tahini paste
- 2 tbsp. white vinegar
- salt and pepper
Here’s how it’s made
You’ll need a bowl the size of a soup bowl to mix your dressing.
Mix the garlic, lemon juice and cumin
First put your garlic, lemon juice and cumin in the bowl and give them a mix.
Add the tahini
Add the tahini and mix together. You would expect the lemon juice to make the sauce more runny, but surprisingly it thickens it up.
Add the vinegar
Add the white vinegar and mix again.
Season
Season with salt and pepper. Add extra lemon juice if necessary.
Tahini Dressing
*If you are wanting to use this as a dressing, to drizzle over your dishes, then add a little more water until it achieves the consistency of a pouring sauce.
Tahini Dip
*If you are using your tahini as a dip it should be about the same consistency as Houmous. Add a little water if necessary.
To serve your dip
Serve your dip in a wide, shallow dish. Using the back of a spoon make a spiralling groove in the surface. Drizzle olive oil over, this will come to rest in the groove you have just made.
Garnish
You could garnish your dip with an olive or a couple of leaves of coriander.
Serve with warm bread
Serve with plenty of warm flat bread to scoop up this delicious dip.
I hope this helped
I hope you found this useful and more importantly I hope you enjoy trying the recipe.
allergies warning – just in case
*Tahini paste is made from ground sesame seeds, so there are those who could have an allergic reaction to them – it’s usually people who are allergic to nuts. This may be something you need to be aware of.
I look forward to seeing you again soon.
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