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Shaabiyat
Shaabiyat: Aleppo filo triangles filled with thick cream, baked crisp and soaked in syrup
SyrianShaabiyat is one of the jewels of Aleppo's pastry shops, made in huge trays for weddings and for Eid visits: buttery filo folded into triangles around a cool, thick milk cream, baked until golden and shatteringly crisp, then splashed with syrup and topped with ground pistachio. The cream stays cool and soft inside the crackling layers. Serve within a few hours of baking. Common mistake: letting the filo dry out while you work — keep the sheets under a damp tea towel. Chef's tip: syrup must be cold and the pastry hot when they meet, so it soaks in without making the layers soggy.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the cream
For the pastry
For the syrup
To finish
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 9 oz sugar and ¾ cup water for 6 minutes, add 1 tsp lemon juice and chill.
7 minStep 2: Whisk 1 ¾ oz fine semolina, 1 tbsp cornflour and 2 tbsp sugar into 2 cups whole milk and ½ cup double cream in a pan. Stir over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes until very thick. Add 2 tsp orange blossom water, cover the surface and chill for 1 hour until firm.
70 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Cut the 12 filo pastry sheets lengthways into 3 long strips each. Brush two strips with 4 oz ghee and stack them.
Step 4: Put a tablespoon of cream at one end and fold the corner over to make a triangle, then keep folding along the strip like a flag. Brush with ghee and set on a tray. Repeat to make about 18.
Step 5: Bake for 20–25 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
25 minStep 6: Spoon the cold syrup over the hot triangles, sprinkle the tips with 1 ⅜ oz pistachios and leave 10 minutes before serving.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shaabiyat take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of double cream?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
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