Ingredients
Pastry
- 16kallaj sheets, or very thin filo
Filling
- 500 gakkawi cheese, or unsalted mozzarella
- cold water, for soaking
Syrup
- 400 gcaster sugar
- 200 mlwater
- 1 tsplemon juice
- 1 tbsprosewater
- 1 tbsporange blossom water
For frying
- 200 gghee, or clarified butter
To finish
- ground pistachios
- more syrup, to pour
Directions
- Cut it into thin slices and put it in a bowl of cold water. Leave it to soak for at least four hours, changing the water each hour. Taste a piece after each change until only a faint saltiness remains. Drain the slices and pat them dry between cloths. Wet cheese makes the pastry soggy and causes the oil to spit.
- Put the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan over a medium heat. Stir it until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring. Simmer it for eight to ten minutes until slightly thickened. The lemon juice stops it crystallising later. Take it off the heat and stir in the rosewater and orange blossom water.
- Let it cool completely, since it goes onto hot pastry. Cold syrup on hot pastry is what keeps the pastry crisp. Keep the unused sheets under a damp cloth throughout. Lay one sheet on the work surface. Lay a second sheet directly on top of it.
- Put a portion of cheese along the lower third of the sheet. Leave a margin at each side so the cheese cannot escape. Fold the two sides in over the ends of the cheese. Roll it up from the bottom into a tight parcel. Press the final edge down firmly to seal it.
- Set it seam side down and cover it while you make the rest. Now frying, which is done in ghee rather than oil. Melt it in a wide frying pan to a depth of about a centimetre. Heat it to about 170C, hot enough to sizzle but not smoking. Fry them for about two minutes until deep golden underneath.
- Turn them carefully with tongs and fry the other side. The pastry should be crisp and blistered all over. Lift each parcel straight from the pan into the cold syrup. Turn it once so both sides are coated.
- Leave it in the syrup for no more than ten seconds. Any longer and the pastry goes soft all the way through. Lift it onto a serving plate and let the excess drain. Now finishing them, which is done at once. Pour a little more syrup over the top of each one. Scatter ground pistachios generously over them.
- Serve them immediately, while the cheese is still stretching. They are eaten hot with a fork, or in the hand.
Technique
- Soak the cheese for hours and taste it, since salty cheese against sugar syrup is unpleasant.
- Cold syrup onto hot pastry is what keeps it crisp; both hot makes it limp.
- Dip for ten seconds only, then lift it straight out.
Substitutions
- Very thin filo in place of kallaj sheets.
- Unsalted mozzarella, which needs no soaking.
Variations
- Filled with ashta cream instead of cheese.
- Baked rather than fried, which is a lighter modern version.
- Made in a large tray and cut into squares.
History
Sold only in Ramadan from bakeries that stack the paper-thin sheets by the kilo for home frying.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kallaj?
Kallaj is a bread & pastry from Lebanon: thin pastry sheets fried with cheese and soaked in syrup, eaten in Ramadan. Sold only in Ramadan from bakeries that stack the paper-thin sheets by the kilo for home frying.
How long does Kallaj take to make?
Kallaj takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 pieces. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kallaj?
Yes, within limits. Very thin filo in place of kallaj sheets. Unsalted mozzarella, which needs no soaking.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kallaj?
Set it seam side down and cover it while you make the rest. Now frying, which is done in ghee rather than oil. Melt it in a wide frying pan to a depth of about a centimetre. Heat it to about 170C, hot enough to sizzle but not smoking. Fry them for about two minutes until deep golden underneath.
