Kahi - Iraqi Pistachio-Filled Pastry

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the butter and oil and rub them into the flour with your fingers, to coarse crumbs.
3. 3
   Add the water and Knead about 5 minutes, until you get a smooth, soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

   ⚙ KneadingBowlStand mixer
4. 4
   Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes in the fridge.

   💡Oil-and-water dough needs no rising: the rest relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 5
   Mix the pistachios, sugar, rose water and cardamom.

   Bowl
2. 6
   Roll out the dough thin, to 3 mm, and cut into into rounds of about 10 cm.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinKnife

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
3. 7
   Fill the center of each round with a teaspoon of filling, fold into a half-circle and pinch the edges.
4. 8
   Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

   Baking panParchment paper
5. 9
   Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (355°F) 20–25 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden underneath too.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
6. 10
   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.
7. 11
   Add the lemon juice and rose water.

   💡The lemon keeps the sugar from crystallizing again.
8. 12
   Pour the syrup over the pastries hot from the oven and let cool.