afoona
Fried Semolina Dessert with Nuts and Syrup
Desserts

Fried Semolina Dessert with Nuts and Syrup

A traditional Moroccan dessert of fried semolina with nuts, cinnamon and syrup

⏱ 35 min🍽 8 servings 🌍 Middle Eastern👩‍🍳 Afoona🧩 2 parts
⚖ Pareve🥬 Vegetarian🌱 Vegan

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Sugar Syrup

  1. 1
    Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer 5 minutes, until the sugar melts and the syrup thickens slightly.
    ⚙ SimmeringStove
    💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
  2. 2
    Add the lemon juice.
    💡The lemon keeps the sugar from crystallizing again.

To assemble

  1. 3
    Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the semolina and fry, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until it browns and smells nutty.
    StovePotWooden spoon
  2. 4
    Add the sugar and stir for 2 minutes.
  3. 5
    Carefully pour in the boiling water (it will spatter) and stir quickly until absorbed. Add the cinnamon and ginger.
  4. 6
    Cook over low heat, stirring, for another 5 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot.
    Stove
  5. 7
    Shape the paste into patties with two spoons, pour the syrup over the top and sprinkle with the almonds and walnuts.
    Spoon / teaspoon (regular)
610calories
6 gprotein
68 gcarbs
37 gfat
● protein 4%● carbs 44%● fat 53%

Per serving (162 g), of 8 servings

For the Sugar Syrup · To assemble ·

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⚖ About the ingredients

🔧 Tools needed (3) · 🍳 One cooking vessel

  • Stove · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
  • Pot · Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
  • Wooden spoon · Also works: Silicone spatula (None) · Spoon / teaspoon (regular) (a regular spoon gets hot)

By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.

🧩 Built from…

Sugar Syrup → Semolina Halva in Syrup

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