Egyptian Cuisine

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All Egyptian Recipes

TV Show
Food Safari

Food Category
Dessert

Key Ingredient
Coconut
Semolina

Cuisine Category
Egyptian

Basbousa

Cuisine: Egyptian Created by Amira Georgy

This sweet semolina cake with rose water and lemon syrup is very popular in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. It is normally baked in a large tray, cut into diamond shapes with an almond on each piece, and finally soaked with the deliciously sweet syrup.

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
Milk if needed

Syrup

1 ½ cups caster sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp rosewater

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Preparation

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.

Syrup
Meanwhile, 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.

Egyptian Restaurants

Displaying 4 of 4 Egyptian Restaurants.

Restaurant		Suburb
1.	De Bortoli Winery and Restaurant	Dixons Creek
2.	Princess Jasmine	Punchbowl
3.	Made In Africa Ethiopian Restaurant	Moorooka
4.	Cupido	Carlton

19 Apr 2012 10:24 AEST

Belinda

Bell Park

Soooooo good!

Oh wow! This recipe is so easy (even a water burner could make it!) and it tastes sooo good! It is super sweet, so it wouldn't be a problem to reduce the sugar. I didn't have any lemon juice for the syrup, so I used lime instead and it was still brilliant. I also love vanilla, so added a dash of extract in the syrup as well. Fabulous recipe - vanishes quickly! Everyone I shared it with loved it, although my father did think it would be better without the "pot pourri" (AKA rosewater, hehe!)

14 Feb 2012 11:36 AEST

tamski

Sydney

The Best

Most positively, this is a great recipe. We make it regularly in our home. The best basbousa recipe found. Easy to prepare, children help in the kitchen. So, our 'friend ' sana from calgary. Check your grammar, English, oh yes, don't forget your ignorance as well. And on Australia Day. Oh, pl-ea-se :-)

03 Feb 2012 03:16 AEST

Sandy Tasha

Frankston

Delicious Basbousa

I made this Basbousa to share with friends at work. The sweet wonderful aroma really works. Everyone was so keen to taste it. Basbousa cake tastes really good, everyone at work was happy with the aroma, the flavour and also the syrup. Just beautiful. Thanks for the recipe.

26 Jan 2012 10:22 AEST

sana

CALGARY

get educated dear

Egypt is not one of the poorest country of the world, Egypt is the cradle of civilization and there live some of the most educated and rich people, before starting a site like this get some education so you dont look as ignorant as you do now

29 Dec 2011 11:49 AEST

sarah

point cook

yummy

made this a few times. love it. very easy and quick to make

29 Aug 2011 12:01 AEST

rafia

india

AGREE

GOOOOOD

03 Jul 2011 02:26 AEST

tani

melbourne

to confused

doesn't matter. You don't have to rest it.

23 Jun 2011 04:30 AEST

Carly

Canberra

confused

In the video it says to let rest for thirty mins where as in the recipe it doesn't say anything? plz Help

17 Oct 2010 07:25 AEST

Taylor

4737

thank you

wow, i go to school and i am going to use this for an assessment on egyptian food. u have done a really great job and everyone will like it. thank you

16 Sep 2010 09:08 AEST

Kerry

Murwillumbah

Deeeviiiiiiiiine!!!!!!

Have made this 3 times for various reasons since last weeks episode. It is truly divine served warm with cold plain yoghurt. Easy too!

10 Sep 2010 04:38 AEST

Margaret

Stirling S.A.

Basbousa

So easy to make, can get the ankle nippers to do it, or at least the 10 year olds. Delicious with coffee or with cream for a dessert

17 Feb 2009 04:12 AEST

Katherine

Melbourne

Confusing

On the video Amira says to bake for 20min on 180 degrees (fan forced). In the method above it says to 190 degrees for 35-40 min until golden brown. Can someone please clarify?

06 Feb 2009 02:55 AEST

Erika

noarlunga

Delicious

I loved it. Sooo easy to make, and popular with the kids. Very similar to another one I have made over the years, but very nice. Thanks

17 Jan 2009 08:33 AEST

Mona

Perth

Wanna make this :D

i made it!!!!!..yummm!!!!...but didnt know what size baking tin to use :(....dose anyone know what was the size of the tray used?...please help??...thanking u in advance :)

22 Dec 2008 05:22 AEST

Ruth Phillips

Lewisham

Basbousa - perfect flavour

After see this episode of the show I decided to bake basbousa instead of the usual Greek walnut shortbread for Christmas - made an experiemental lot with slice trays - not satisfied witht he depth of the trays I went searching for the authentic tray from Lakemba - happily I found one and am about to make it again - a great hit the first time by the way - even if imperfect in my view. I especially enjoy the hint of lemon and rose water - Great show!

16 Dec 2008 07:35 AEST

teresa fairclough

springfield

quick and easy

i will be making this great dessert for christmas day for our family get together and i am sure it will be a winner for bothe young and old alike. Just wait 'til my lady boss tasted this new dessert, she will be asking for the recipe. This is a great recipe, it will not take a lot of time to do it.

16 Dec 2008 01:25 AEST

Abigail

Brisbane

What size pan

Hi, what size pan do you think would be best for this recipe?

13 Dec 2008 02:44 AEST

Anna

Mornington

Quick & easy...

I saw this the other night on Food Safari and thought that looks really easy...I googled the name and found many different versions on this sweet,some had lots of eggs and others had none,some had coarse semolina others fine.Then I entered the FOOD SAFARI site and there it was!!! The recipe that I had been thinking of ALL week,so I went out this morning and bought all the ingredients and I have made it..it really is wonderful!!The easiest sweet and no eggs...Thank you Amira !

11 Dec 2008 06:30 AEST

Alison

Yarraville

YUM!

I'm making this for a get together on the weekend

11 Dec 2008 01:05 AEST

Zakia

Matraville

Beautiful..

This recipe was soo easy and beautiful looking.. very similar to another one.. but Thanks for it..

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