Basbousa

[wgallois]

After quite a few years of making absolutely sure, I have realised that I do not really like baklava. Sudanese, Egyptian, Turkish, Lebanese, almond, peanut, no matter. However, at the same time that this thought was becoming clear I realised that I absolutely love basbousa (a syrupy semolina and coconut cake which is often served with selections of baklava). Any suggestions for great basbousa recipes and places to buy it? In the Emirates the best place is the French supermarket chain Carrefour who sell the juiciest, most luscious basbousa.

[edited for sense]

Edited October 30, 2003 by wgallois (log)

[Suvir Saran]

In NY, the very best can be found at Oriental Bakery in Brooklyn. It is on Atlantic Avenue. Made by Syrian brothers. It is juicy and moist and the honey used is sublime. Syrians call it Harissa. Lebanese call it Basboussa.

Moustache on Bedford street makes a lighter coarser version. They serve it warm with yogurt. And if you know the owner, he will heat it even further and drizzle special Iraqi honey on it for you....

Basboussa is one of my all time favorite Middle Eastern desserts.

[Suvir Saran]

I just realized, I am like you.... maybe a little more tolerant... since I have a VERY sweet tooth, I will tolerate baklava... but would at any other dessert before I have to eat it... if there is a choice.

[FoodMan]

Actually Lebanese also call it either Hrissa OR Nammoura and it usually has no coconut.

Growing up in Lebanon I am used to 2 different types of this Very sweet dessert:

1- the thicker softer more gooey type

2- the thinner, more crispy on the outside soft on the inside type

IMHO the second one is the better one, even though the first one is more common, I love it and that's the one I make at home. I can PM u my recipe if you are interested. You can control if u like 1 or 2 by simply spreading the batter thinner or thicker and by the length of baking time. If you really want coconut in it you can also add that.

As for your lack of enthusiasm for well made Baklawa

Elie

[Suvir Saran]

Actually Lebanese also call it either Hrissa OR Nammoura  and it usually has no coconut.

Growing up in Lebanon I am used to 2 different types of this Very sweet dessert:

1- the thicker softer more gooey type

2- the thinner, more crispy on the outside soft on the inside type

IMHO the second one is the better one, even though the first one is more common, I love it and that's the one I make at home. I can PM u my recipe if you are interested. You can control if u like 1 or 2 by simply spreading the batter thinner or thicker and by the length of baking time. If you really want coconut in it you can also add that.

As for your lack of enthusiasm for well made Baklawa 

Elie

Elie, thanks for sharing this detail about the Lebanese also calling it Harissa.

I will have to let my friend Mary Ann Joulwan (sister of General George Joulwan, ex Supreme Allied Commander of the NATO forces, from Pottsville, PA) know this. They are Lebanese and call it Basboussa. And it was from her, I realized that Tariq (our Syrian friend) was correct in calling Basboussa, Harissa.

And yes, Tariq makes two version... the thick and very gooey type.

Or the crisp on the outside, less dense, more grainy and more cake like as we understand cakes in this part of the world. But our friends Al Rawis from Iraq, drizzle the crisp thin one with generous (copious) amounts of honey and then bake it again to warm up the cake some.. and then eat it with yogurt.

I simply have yet to eat your preparation of Baklava. I am sure after that, I shall not be a stranger to it or vice versa. Mary Ann, our friend who is Lebanese, has made it for me.... our other friends from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and other parts of the Arab world, celebrate her version as being amazing, but still, I am at a loss for not appreciating it enough. And I do enjoy it... but if presented with other desserts at the same time, I shall always let Baklava be the one I shall ignore:shock:

[Suvir Saran]

I mention George only because I know that the Lebanese government and also the Lebanese groups in the US I know of, have made quite some fuss over this 4 star general being one of their brave sons in the US.

Pottsville, PA, has a very large population of Americans of Lebanese heritage.

What was most funny was that a couple of weeks ago, a guest at Amma was cooing over the food and its many layers of flavor and texture and surprising complexity and as she said that, she asked me if I had eaten Lebanese food. I said yes and mentioned how my best friend is from Lebanon. I said her full name, this lady immediately said the Joulwans from Pottsville? I said yes. This lady is from NYC, but her aunt married into the Joulwans of Pottsville. They knew each other. And as I would in the case of Indians, I realized what a small world ours can be.

While I speak of Mary Ann, I should mention, hers is the only non-Indian recipe in my cookbook. And it is added for most all my family and friends have adopted it as an Indian recipe and cannot think of their Indian kitchens as being complete without this recipe.

[FoodMan]

Suvir-

you know so many interesting people. We have to meet sometime.

Is Mary Ann's a recipe for basbousa or Baklava in your book?? Does she put coconut in hers?

Elie

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir-

you know so many interesting people. We have to meet sometime.

Is Mary Ann's a recipe for basbousa or Baklava in your book?? Does she put coconut in hers?

Elie

Elie, but I am yet to meet you in person.

You should come visit NYC... and I shall feed you some Indian fare for sure, but also promise you a meal at Mary Ann's home, if you plan the visit with me and her calendar all in synch. She is the best chef I know making Middle Eastern food.. and I know many..... High Comissioners of several states of the region beg her to work with caterers... she has calls coming all the time for cooking foods for special ceremonies... but alas, she only cooks for friends and family and only when so inspired.

The recipe I have from her, the only non-Indian recipe, is not for dessert, but for a savory dish. There are many non-Indian desserts in my book.

[Suvir Saran]

Elie, I would love your recipe for Harisa. And Mary Ann makes it without coconut and I like it better that way.

But, I shall enjoy your recipe and all variations you suggest. Thanks for offering to share the recipe. I am most honored.

[FoodMan]

Suvir-

I will let you know as soon as we decide to visit NYC, thanks again for the offer. I will e-mail you my recipe as soon as I get a chance.

Is the book almost out?? I thought it was supposed to be out already??

Elie

[prasantrin]

Suvir-

I will let you know as soon as we decide to visit NYC, thanks again for the offer. I will e-mail you my recipe as soon as I get a chance.

Is the book almost out?? I thought it was supposed to be out already??

Elie

Any chance of posting the recipe to the recipe forum?

Basbousa...mmmmmm .

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir-

I will let you know as soon as we decide to visit NYC, thanks again for the offer. I will e-mail you my recipe as soon as I get a chance.

Is the book almost out?? I thought it was supposed to be out already??

Elie

Elie,

The book took on more ambitious airs than I had anticipated.

What was going to be only a score or so photographs, became many dozen images.

What was going to be black and white with color inserts, has become full color...

My editor who has believed in my work a great deal, has invested a lot more to it than anyone would have expected when we first began this project of documenting Indian home cooking in the American kitchen.

The book has been listed on Amazon for a while now... in fact for quite a few months.... it should be out next August. Thanks for asking...

Looking forward to using your recipe and tasting its results very soon. Shall keep you posted.

Suvir

[FoodMan]

Suvir-

I will let you know as soon as we decide to visit NYC, thanks again for the offer. I will e-mail you my recipe as soon as I get a chance.

Is the book almost out?? I thought it was supposed to be out already??

Elie

Any chance of posting the recipe to the recipe forum?

Basbousa...mmmmmm .

will do.

Elie

[Suvir Saran]

Elie,

If you did send me a recipe for Basbousa, let me know.. I did not recieve it yet.

Not wanting to rush you at all... just want to make sure I do not lose your wonderful recipe to the internet...

If possible, please email me the recipe at chef@suvir.com.

I find that far more reliable than PM's and I also check it more often.

Looking forward to your recipe.

[FoodMan]

I just sent you the recipe Suvir. Sorry for the delay. Please do let me know what you think if you get a chance to try it. I will post it in the Recipe archive ASAP.

Here is a picture of the finished dish:

Elie

[prasantrin]

I just sent you the recipe Suvir. Sorry for the delay. Please do let me know what you think if you get a chance to try it. I will post it in the Recipe archive ASAP.

Thanks! I was hoping you hadn't posted it in the archives, yet, since I haven't been able to get there, lately. Not that I haven't tried, but I keep getting the "This page cannot be displayed" message that IE likes to give so often.

Your basbousa looked delicious, by the way. I think I need to make some soon!

rona

[FoodMan]

It's been real hectic at work and I still did not get a chance to put this in the archives so in the meantime here it goes, hope you like it and please let me know if you have any questions or comments:

Basbousa/Nammoura

1/4 lb butter (1 stick)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Large egg

1/3 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt

2 Cups Semolina

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

Pinch Salt

12-14 blanched, peeled almond halves (optional)

Syrup:

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 tsp rosewater

1/2 tsp orange blossom water

- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan or in the microwave. Let the butter cool down a little.

- Whisk the egg and sugar together in a bowl. Add in the melted butter, milk and yogurt. Mix till everything is smooth.

- In a separate bowl mix the semolina, flour, baking powder and salt. Add thee liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix till you get a smooth batter.

- Preheat your oven to 375. Pour the mixture into a well buttered baking dish and let it rest at room temperature while the oven heats up. If you like a thin and crispy on the outside Nammoura, then make sure your batter is about 1/4-1/2 inch thick in the dish. For a more cake-like, gooey Nammoura make it about an inch thick. Either way use a spatula to smooth the top of the batter to an even thickness, then lay the almond halves on their flat side on top spaced about an inch apart. The goal is to get at least one almond per piece.

- Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about one hour

- While the Nammoura is cooking make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar and cook over medium heat till the mixture is syrupy. Add the rosewater and orange blossom water. Take off the heat.

- When the Nammoura is done take it out of the oven and using a knife cut it into 2-inch squares or lozenges. You should have one or two almonds in each piece.

- Pour the syrup all over the still hot Nammoura. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Edited November 10, 2003 by FoodMan (log)

[prasantrin]

My basbousa/nammoura is in the oven as I type. It smells wonderful and should be ready shortly. I used whole almonds, which I toasted first--probably shouldn't have but it's a habit. I'm not sure if the consistency of the batter was correct--I didn't so much pour it in the pan, but plop it. It was quite thick and took a good while to spread it evenly. I had to use goat's milk and goat's milk yoghurt and I hope they don't change the end product too much. I used a cookie sheet so the basbousa/nammoura will be thin and crispy. Hopefully it will keep until my Middle Eastern Dance wrap-up party on Wednesday...unless I eat it all, first!

Thanks for posting your recipe!

rona

[FoodMan]

Rona

I am glad you decided to make it. Please let us know how it came out? Did you like it?

Your batter sounds right, it is not exactly “pourable” but more like a very loose paste, and the larger your baking vessel is the thinner it will be and the harder it is to even it out. As for using goat milk and goat's milk yogurt, I do think it will give your end product a different taste. I just hope it won’t be too overpowering.

Looking forward to your comments,

Elie

[prasantrin]

Rona

I am glad you decided to make it. Please let us know how it came out? Did you like it?

I liked it very much, and my mother liked it even more! Unfortunately, I burned the cookie sheet batch. It was quite burnt, too, not even salvagable. My mother, however, liked it anyway and eats it dunked in coffee or tea. My second batch was baked in round cake pans and I kept a much more careful eye on them. This time I did not burn them, but when I made the syrup I accidentally put the flower waters in before beginning to heat it. I think that was a mistake because they were overpowering, but after a few days the flavours mellowed. My mother liked it, anyway, and one pan was gone by the time the Middle Eastern dance party came around--only 3 pieces had been eaten by me, all the rest by my mother!

The goat's milk flavour was initially quite strong, but like the flower waters mellowed with time. I like goat's milk so it wasn't really a problem for me, but I think I'll try cow's milk next time. My mother is allergic to cow's milk (not even lactose intolerant, but a full-blown allergy) which is why I used goat's milk.

I loved the textures of both the thin and the thick, though I think I like the thick more. I have to make another batch before my mother leaves for holidays, as she wants something to snack on while she lies about my sister's house all day.

Thanks for the recipe--it's a keeper!

rona