Harissa or Basboosa

This is one of the most popular dessert recipes throughout the Levant and Egypt. You can actually find harissa in most bakeries right next to the bread and fatayer. It is that popular!

Harissa is a semolina based dessert, every country makes it slightly different. For example, In Syria and Palestine they make the recipe with yogurt and coconut while in Egypt it’s called basboosa and only water is used. Some other places around the Mid-East also add eggs to make it more of a cake rather than bars.

 

 

 Ingredients:  

1- 3 cups semolina

2- 3/4 cup butter or ghee

3- 1 cup yogurt

4- 1/4 cup orange juice

5- 1 cup sugar

6- 1 teaspoon baking powder

7- 2 tablespoons tahini sauce

8- Peeled slivered almonds for decoration

9- 1 tablespoon of tahini to brush baking dish

10- Sugar syrup for drizzling

11- Ground pistachio

 

To make the syrup

1- 3 cup sugar

2- 2 cups of water

3- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

4- 1 teaspoon rose water (optional)

 

Directions

1- Make the syrup

2- Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pot over medium heat

3- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes

4- Take off the heat and add the rosewater if using

5- Make the Harissa

6- Mix the semolina, butter, yogurt, juice, sugar, baking powder, tahini and orange zest in a pot until homogeneous

7- Brush a baking dish with tahini

8- Pour the batter into the baking dish

9- Level the surface using a wet hand

10- Use a wet line to make cuts in the pattern that you like

11- Decorate with peeled almonds

12- Bake on the bottom rack of a preheated oven at 180 until the edges are golden brown (about 30 minutes)

13- Place under the broiler until the top is golden brown

14- Take out of the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes

Drizzle with syrup

Decorate with ground pistachio

Serve one the Harissa is room temperature

 

Lara Khouli