BASBOUSA RECIPE

A traditional Middle Eastern dessert, this semolina cake is made with Vijay Bansi Sooji & soaked in sugar syrup after baking! A guilty pleasure to be enjoyed on a special occasion.

Ingredients

For Basbousa
225 gm / 1&1/3 cup Vijay Gold Bansi Sooji
50 gm Sugar, powdered
30 gm / 2 tbsp Butter, melted
30 gm / 2 tbsp Ghee, melted
50 gm / 4 tbsp Coconut, dessicated
10 ml / ¾ tbsp Rose Water
200 ml / ¾ cup Milk
For Sugar Syrup:
80 gm / 1/3 cup Sugar
90 ml / 1/3 cup Water
For Topping:
9 Almonds, blanched and peeled

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 180 C / 375 F / Gas Mark 4. Grease a 6*6 square pan with ghee and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the Vijay Gold Bansi Sooji and powdered sugar till well combined.
Add the ghee and mix well using a spatula till the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Now add the Coconut and mix well.
Add the milk and rose water and mix thoroughly to combine, ensure that there are no lumps.
Let the mixture stand for 5-10 minutes for the sooji to absorb the milk slightly.
Mix once again and pour the mixture into your prepared tray. Score the top into 9 even pieces and top each one with a peeled almond.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
While the Basbousa is baking, prepare your sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water and boiling the syrup for 3-4 minutes. Allow it to cool completely.
Once your Basbousa is out of the oven, pour all the sugar syrup evenly over the top, it may look like it is too much, but it will all be absorbed. After pouring the syrup, allow it to stand for 30-40 mins before slicing and serving.

Tips for Cooking

If you do not have dessicated coconut, you can use freshly grated coconut as well. Keep in mind that this will contain a little more moisture and the milk will have to be reduced slightly by about 25-30 ml.
The milk can be slightly warm when you add it to the sooji mixture, this allows the sooji to absorb it much quicker and hastens the baking process as well.
Incase your mixture is too dry after adding the milk, add a little more to make it into a thick batter consistency.

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