Turkey – Baklava

by Reshaeel Nisar

Introduction

Baklava is a famous sweet dish which is specially made in Turkey. It is liked by many people in Turkey and it counts as the 4th most famous dish in Turkey. Turkish people love to eat sweet dishes and Baklava is one of them. For making baklava you just need to make a dough as I have given below the recipe. It is a kind of pastry which is becoming popular in eastern countries day by day, as many restaurants offer it and it has become the most famous dessert in these countries. This recipe can be a time-consuming recipe for you because of baking and freezing the dough but in the end, you’ll get the reward by tasting it when it is fully ready to eat. I suggest you make it to your own home. I’m sure your children and other family members will like it.

Sweet dish

Baklava is a sweet dish in many eastern countries and has become the most famous desert of these countries. Many people from eastern counties such as Turkey loves this dessert and eats it to get a better taste.

Dessert

Baklava is known as a special dessert in eastern countries like Turkey. This dessert not only changes your whole taste but gives you a great feeling which no other desert can do. Many other eastern restaurants offer this dessert and liked by many people.

Ingredients

Ingredients for making pastry with ghee

  • 400 gms Ghee
  • Water if required
  • 200 ml Water
  • 4 tbs Oil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbs powdered sugar
  • 500 gms All-purpose flour
  • 1 Egg which is Optional

Ingredients for making Sugar syrup

  • Egg
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 3-4 Cloves
  • 1 tsp Rosewater
  • 1 tbsp Brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp Nutmeg powder
  • 1 tsp Lemon juice
  • ½ Cup crushed Pistachio
  • 2 Cups Sugar
  • Puff pastry as required
  • ½ Cup crushed Almonds
  • ½ Cup crushed Walnuts
  • ¼ tsp Cinnamon powder

Steps to Make

There are many ways or steps for making this dish, mine is simple and easy. You just have to follow the below steps.

Steps for making Pastry with Ghee

  1. First of all, for making baklava you need to make puff pastry with ghee and for that, you have to follow these steps:
  2. Take a pot or a wok and 400 gms ghee in it and let it melt. Now bring it to room temperature.
  3. After that take a bowl and add chilled water with ice cubes in it and add the above-melted ghee in this bowl and leave it until ghee becomes solid and put it in the refrigerator and for approximately 6 hours
  4. Now take a jug and add 200 ml water,1 egg, 4 tsp oil, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar and mix it well.
  5. After that take another bowl and add 500 gms all-purpose flour, egg water mixture which we made above and kneed it until smooth and soft dough is formed.
  6. Use water if required and cover it and set it aside for 20 minutes.
  7. Now come back to the solid ghee and squeeze out the excess water from it.
  8. Now take a square pan and place butter paper in it and set a block of ghee above the butter paper and after setting the block you just have to place another butter paper on the top of it.
  9. And freeze that block of ghee for just 20 minutes.
  10. Coming back to the prepared dough, now sprinkle some amount of flour on it and roll it in an oval shape with the help of a rolling pin.
  11. Now take out the frozen solid ghee block and put it in the center of the dough and wrap that dough from 4 sides, sprinkle some flour on it and roll it out with the help of a rolling pin and make it rectangular shaped, fold it one more time and overlap the remaining part of the rectangular-shaped dough.
  12. Now cover it and freeze it for 20 minutes.
  13. Take it out after 20 minutes, sprinkle flour again on it then flatten and roll it out again, and repeat the same process by overlapping its sides again and freeze it again for another 20 minutes.
  14. Take it out again after 20 minutes, roll it again with the help of a rolling pin and make it a rectangular shaped dough.
  15. Your puff pastry is ready, now its time to make sheera (sugar syrup) to complete this dish.

Steps for making Sugar syrup

  1. For making sugar syrup first of all take a pot and add 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, and 3-4 cloves, mix it well and cook until the syrup becomes thick.
  2. After that add 1 tsp rose water for a good smell and 1 tsp lemon juice then mix it again and set it aside for some period of time.
  3. On the other hand, take a bowl and add 1/2 cup pistachio, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/4 cinnamon powder, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/4 nutmeg powder in it and then mix it well and set it aside for some time.
  4. Now take the puff pastry as we have made above, roll our egg wash, and dry fruit mixture on it and fold, press It and cut it with the cutter in a roll shape.
  5. Now take a baking tray and place it on a baking tray and bake it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Centigrade.
  6. Bake it for 30 minutes or until the baklava turns brown.
  7. After baking it for 30 minutes pour sugar syrup at the top of the baklava and your delicious baklava is ready to eat.

Time taken

This is a time taking dish but its not too difficult to make. The time taken for preparing and serving this dish is as follows.

For preparing

For preparing baklava you just needs 1 and half hours. It totally depends on your speed of cooking. If you want to make it in less time, then you just have to speed up your pace.

For serving

For serving this dish, it needs only 10 to 15 minutes. As it doesn’t need any garnishing. You can serve this dish to as many people as you like depending upon the quantity of it.

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