Basbousa is an Arabic sweet made with semolina. This is usually made during all special occasions and festivals, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. This is an easy to make dish and detailed recipe and cooking video is given below.
Step 1 (For sugar syrup)
Ingredients
- Water – 2 cups
- Sugar – 1 1/2 cup
- Lime juice – 1 tsp
- Rose water – 1 tsp
Preparation
Take water in a small vessel and add sugar into it. Over medium flame stir until sugar dissolves in the water. Then bring it to boil. Add lime juice and rose water. Continue boiling this solution for about 10 minutes. The solution must be thicker by now. Or else boil for some more time. Turn off flame and leave it for cooling after that. Sugar syrup is ready.
Step 2 (Blanching of Almonds)
Ingredients
- Almonds – 1/3 cup
- Water – 1 cup
Preparation
Boil water in a small utensil, add almonds to the boiling water. Boil the almonds for about 10 seconds. After cooling down, peel them. The skin will come out very easily.
Step 3 (For Basbousa batter)
Ingredients
- Eggs – 2 nos
- Sugar – 3/4 cup
- Melted butter – 1 cup (200 gms of butter melted)
- Yogurt – 1 cup
- Semolina – 2 cups
- Vanilla flavour – 2 tsp
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Desiccated coconut – 1 cup
- Butter – for greasing the tray
Preparation
Prepare a big mixing bowl. Add eggs to it and beat well. Into that add sugar, mix till the sugar dissolves completely. Melted butter is added to it and mix well. Then add yogurt, stir well. Now add semolina, vanilla flavor, baking powder and mix well. Here add desiccated coconut and mix everything well. The batter is ready. This is not of a flowing consistency. Grease the baking tray with butter. Here baking tray of dimension 12 x 7 x 1 inches used. You can use any tray of your choice. Transfer the batter to the tray. Spread evenly. Leave it for about 30 minutes to set properly. Cut as per the design required. Now place the peeled almonds (step 2) on each piece. Basbousa is ready to go into the baking oven.
Preheat oven for 15 minutes at 190 Deg Cel. Bake for 35 minutes at the same temperature or till the color changes to golden brown. After taking out from the oven retrace the cuts. Now pour the sugar syrup prepared (step 1) on the basbousa while its still hot. Pour till it is well moist. Do not over fill it with syrup. Sweet, moist Basbousa is ready ….