I have recently become a fan of the SBS show Food Safari. Exploring the cuisine of a different country in each episode, host Maeve O’Meara is invited into the homes of multi-cultural Australians where they share their family stories and recipes.
One area I am into in a big way, after falling in love with the Greek biscuits, Melamakaranos, at the Qantas Club lounge, and then being fortunate enough to score an authentic family recipe from a lovely Greek lady, is international desserts! There are so many delicious and interesting treats to discover, and often as they are family recipes, they are simple to make and don’t require much technical skill.
As I watched Food Safari the other night, the Egyptian treat Basbousa, stole my heart. I wanted to make it right away, but alas, I didn’t have any semolina. Next day, I picked up a bag and wham, bam, basbousa! This dessert is very sweet and should be eaten in small portions, but its crumbly, soft, moist texture cannot be beaten.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups coarse semolina
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ½ cup self-raising flour
- 200g thick yoghurt
- 200g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- approx 25 blanched almonds
- Syrup – 1 ½ cups caster sugar
- 1 cup water
- juice of half a lemon
- rosewater to taste
Directions
- Mix the semolina, coconut, sugar, flour, yoghurt,melted butter and vanilla in a bowl. If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk.
- Spread in a greased baking tray and cut into diamond shapes. Place one blanched almond in the centre of each diamond. Bake in an oven at 190˚C for 35-40 min until golden brown.
- Stir sugar and water until sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and rosewater. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still hot and let it stand until it reaches room temperature. Serve.
