Indian Baklava. Crush saffron with a mortar and pestle or on a plate with the handle of a wooden spoon. Let cool, then stir in rose water. This baklava is flaky, crisp and tender and I love that it isn't overly sweet.
You can have Indian Baklava using 13 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook that.
Ingredients of Indian Baklava
- Prepare of Saffron Syrup.
- Prepare 3/4 cup of water.
- It’s 1 1/2 cup of sugar.
- You need 1/8 tsp of saffron threads.
- It’s 4 1/2 tsp of rose water.
- You need of Baklava.
- Prepare 1/2 cup of raw walnuts.
- Prepare 1/2 cup of raw almonds.
- Prepare 1 tsp of cardamom.
- It’s 1/2 tsp of nutmeg.
- It’s 1 pkg. (1 lb.) of frozen filo, thawed.
- Prepare 1 cup of ghee.
- Prepare 3 tbsp of shelled unsalted pistachios, finely ground.
Let cool, then stir in rose water. Put all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Baklava is a Turkish rich sweet pasty made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. This dish is distinctive to the former Ottoman Empire cuisines and much of central and southwest Asia.
Indian Baklava instructions
Crush saffron with a mortar and pestle or on a plate with the handle of a wooden spoon. In a small saucepan, mix sugar, 3/4 cup water, and the saffron. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until liquid is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then stir in rose water..
Preheat oven to 325°. In a food processor, whirl walnuts, almonds, cardamom, and nutmeg until nuts are coarsely ground..
Unroll filo with a long side facing you and cut in half into two 9- by 13-in. pieces. Stack pieces and cover with a kitchen towel to keep from drying out..
Brush bottom and sides of a 9- by 13-in. baking dish with ghee. Peel off 1 sheet filo, lay in pan, and brush with ghee. Layer 12 more sheets on top, brushing each with ghee (it's okay if some sheets are torn or not fitting evenly in pan)..
Sprinkle half the nut mixture over filo. Lay another sheet of filo on top, gathering it to fit into pan and brushing with ghee. Repeat with 12 more sheets of filo, buttering each. Sprinkle on remaining nut mixture. Layer remaining sheets of filo on top, buttering each as before..
Cut baklava into 32 squares. Bake until top is golden and crisp and edges pull away from pan sides, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Cool pan on a rack 30 minutes..
Pour saffron syrup over baklava. Let sit to absorb most of the syrup, at least 3 hours (overnight is better). Sprinkle each square with 1/4 tsp. ground pistachios..
Baklava is normally prepared in large pans. Many layers of filo dough, separated with melted butter and vegetable oil, are laid in the pan. A layer of chopped nuts—typically walnuts or pistachios, but hazelnuts are also sometimes used—is placed on top, then more layers of filo. Most recipes have multiple layers of filo and nuts, though some have only top and bottom pastry. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
