Namoura

Namoura is a traditional Lebanese dessert, cooked with semolina and soaked in sugar syrup that melts in the mouth the very moment it goes in. Known under different names in different regions, Namoura is a very versatile recipe. Some people instead of coconut use ground almonds and flour, the top of the Namoura glazed with maple syrup or honey or simple sugar syrup. I love it best when cooked the following way and my hubby dear loves it so much that before even a day ends, all pieces of Namoura are polished off the plate.

 

 

Ingredients:                                          Cooking time: 1 hr ü  2 cups of semolina or suji (480 ml) ü  2 eggs ü  1 cup of grated or shredded coconut (240 ml) ü  1/2 cup of unsalted butter (120 ml) ü  A pinch of salt ü  1 cup of sugar ü  1 cup of milk or plain yogurt ü  2 tsp vanilla essence ü  1 tsp baking powder ü  1/2 cup tahini paste ü  Cashew nuts for garnishing For Glaze: ü  1 cup of water ü  2 cups of sugar ü  2 tsp rose water ü  1 tsp lemon juice Method: 1) Beat eggs, butter, milk or yogurt, sugar and coconut with an electric beater to a mixture of smooth consistency. 2) Add baking powder and a pinch of salt into semolina. Gently pour the egg mixture into semolina and stir until everything is incorporated and no grain of semolina is visible around the rim of the bowl. 3) Preheat the oven to 400 F/204 C. Grease a rectangular baking pan with tahini paste. Then spread the semolina batter across the pan uniformly, smoothing the top with a frosting spreader. Press cashew nuts horizontally into the smoothened bed of semolina. See the pic below for reference:     4) Bake for about 30-40 minutes till the crust becomes golden brown in color. 5) Meanwhile, as the semolina is baking in the oven, prepare the sugar syrup by mixing in the ingredients as mentioned under glaze and heat them either on stove top for 10-15 minutes or in microwave till sugar completely dissolves and syrup of one string consistency forms. 6) Take the baking pan out once the top of the semolina cake turns golden brown in color. Before cooling it in pan, pour half of the sugar syrup across the semolina cake. Using a knife, cut the cake in squares and then drizzle the remaining half of the sugar syrup across the top making sure syrup enters into the gaps. Cool it down to room temperature in the pan itself. 7) Serve warm.