Arabic recipes
Karabij Halab: Aleppine Pistachio Semolina Cookies with Snowy Natef Cream
Karabij Halab is Aleppo's signature celebration pastry: smooth oblong cookies made from ghee-rubbed fine semolina perfumed with mahlab, generously stuffed with blossom-scented green pistachios, baked pale ivory and dipped into cloud-like white natef meringue.
Also known as:Aleppo pistachio karabij with white natef foamSyrian oblong pistachio semolina cookies for EidHand-shaped Aleppine pistachio maamoul fingers
Servings8
Prep time45 min
Cook time15 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- 400 g extra-fine semolina (farkha) + 100 g coarse semolina
- 225 g softened clarified butter ghee + 50 g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp finely ground mahlab spice
- 90 ml lukewarm water mixed with 1 tbsp each orange blossom & rose water
- Pistachio filling: 250 g coarsely chopped green pistachios + 2 tbsp thick sugar syrup + 1 tbsp orange blossom water + 1/2 tsp ghee
- Home-style natef whip: 2 pasteurized egg whites + 180 g sugar + 70 ml water + 1/2 tsp lemon juice & blossom water
Preparation Steps
- 1Rub both semolinas thoroughly with softened ghee, icing sugar and mahlab between your palms, cover, and rest for at least 2 hours or overnight so the grains absorb the butterfat.
- 2Sprinkle in the floral water mixture and fold gently with your fingertips just until cohesive without kneading; rest 20 minutes while mixing the pistachio filling.
- 3Hollow walnut-sized pieces of dough into thin oblong shells, fill generously with pistachio logs, and seal smoothly into torpedo-shaped cookies without using a mold.
- 4Bake on the middle rack of a preheated 200 °C oven for just 12 to 14 minutes until set underneath while staying pale ivory on top.
- 5Boil sugar, water and lemon juice for 6 minutes to soft-ball stage, stream slowly into whipping egg whites with orange blossom water until glossy peaks form, and serve alongside cooled karabij for dipping.
