Knafeh/Kunafa/Kanafeh, originally from Nablus, Palestine, is probably one of the most iconic desserts in Jordan. The most famous place to get a gooey slice of this sugary and cheesy sweet is at Habibah Sweets in downtown Amman. However, if you’re lactose-intolerant or vegan, then you’ve probably never tried it, though you’ve most likely been tempted. At the moment, there is not a vegan-friendly knafeh readily available, but thanks to Zena from Zenanzaatar.com, we have a pretty easy Vegan Knafeh recipe that you can try at home.
Here are the ingredients you will need to stock up on, and where you can buy the trickier ones, in Amman:
For the Kunafa Dough:
- 1 lb kataifi (shredded phyllo dough)
- Sold at Select Foods Shoppe
- 1 cup vegan butter
- Sold at Select Foods Shoppe
For the Sweet Cheese Filling:
- 1¼ cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours if you don’t have a high-speed blender)
- 5 cups warm water
- ¾ cup tapioca starch
- Sold at Select Foods Shoppe
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1.5 tsp salt
For the Orange Blossom Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups coconut or raw sugar (normal sugar will work fine as well, but brown sugars give it the caramel color)
- Sold at Select Foods Shoppe
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- Sold at Select Foods Shoppe
For the Toppings:
- Crushed pistachios
For all recipe instructions: zenanzaatar.com/vegan-kunafa-sweet-shredded-phyllo-and-cheese-dessert/
