Karabij Halab
October 6th, 2009
Karabij Halab means Karabij Aleppo because karabij originated in Aleppo. It is a type of ma’moul filled with pistachios or walnuts, and served with Natef (the white cream in the picture. The main ingredient in making Natef is Shersh Al-Halaweh “Bois de Panama”). You can buy karabij or prepare it at home, but it is very difficult to make natef at home. We made karabij at home and bought the natef.
I made Karabij Halab for Eid Al-Fitr.
Let’s make Karabij Halab:
Dough
1. Prepare semolina flour (smid farkha)
2. Bring water to boil.
3. In a pot, add ghee.
4. Melt ghee over low heat (only melt, do not heat or boil the ghee).
5. Add boiling water to ghee.
6. Turn off heat, add semolina to the ghee.
7, 8. Mix well using a wooden spoon.
9, 10, 11, 12. After mixing with the wooden spoon, mix using your hand (if the mixture hot, continue mixing using the spoon until you can touch it with hand). Mix well to ensure combining all the ingredient, then cover and let it sit for the next day.
Filling
13. Coarsely chop pistachios (the whole amount of pistachios is 150 g, save about 1/3 cup of pistachios for the next step, and chop the rest coarsely).
14. Grind 1/3 cup of pistachios to a powder.
15. Mix coarsely chopped pistachios and powder pistachios together.
16. Add sugar to pistachios.
17. Add ghee to pistachios, and add rose essence to pistachios.
18. Mix pistachios, sugar, ghee and rose essence, cover and set aside for the next day.
Next day
19. Prepare meat grinder, attach the medium holed plate.
20. Bring the dough.
17, 18. Grind all the dough for the first time.
19. Repeat, and grind all the dough for the second time (so grinding is done twice).
20. After second grinding, mix the dough using hand.
21. These are the molds used for different types of ma’moul (date ma’moul, nut ma’moul and others).
22. For Karabij, we use the molds that appear in picture 22.
The steps from 23 to 38 show how to make Karabij using the molds.
In picture 25, I used a (1 dsp = 10 ml) for measuring the size of each piece of dough, and I used ( 1 tsp = 5 ml) for measuring the filling (these measurements are perfect for the yellow mold not the wooden mold, because the wooden mold is bigger in size).
You can use Aluminum sheet, or non stick baking sheet, but don’t grease the sheet.
Bake at 356 °F (180 °C) for about 10 – 15 minutes or until golden in color, remove from the oven and leave them on the baking sheet to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the sheet.
Serve Karabij Halab with Natef.
Karabij Halab
From: L2ma / Servings: 80 – 90 Cookies
PDF Text Only / Print With Images
| Dough
750 g semolina flour (smid farkha) 150 g water 300 g ghee Filling 150 g unsalted pistachios,or walnuts 1/2 cup caster sugar 2 tbsp ghee 1/4 tsp rose essence To Serve Natef |
Dough
Prepare semolina flour (smid farkha) Bring water to boil. In a pot, add ghee. Melt ghee over low heat (only melt, do not heat or boil the ghee) Add boiling water to ghee. Turn off heat, add semolina to the ghee. Mix well using a wooden spoon. After mixing with the wooden spoon, mix using your hand (if the mixture hot, continue mixing using the spoon until you can touch it with hand). Mix well to ensure combining all the ingredient, then cover and let it sit for the next day. Filling Coarsely chop pistachios (the whole amount of pistachios is 150 g, save about 1/3 cup of pistachios for the next step, and chop the rest coarsely). Grind 1/3 cup of pistachios to a powder. Mix coarsely chopped pistachios and powder pistachio together. Add sugar to pistachios. Add ghee to pistachios, add rose essence to pistachios Mix pistachios, sugar, ghee and rose essence, set aside for the next day. Next day Prepare meat grinder, attach the medium holed plate. Bring the dough. Grind all the dough for the first time. Repeat, and grind all the dough for the second time (so grinding is done twice). After second grinding, mix the dough using hand. These are the molds used for different types of ma’moul (date ma’moul, nut ma’moul and others). For Karabij, we use the molds that appear in picture 22. The steps from 23 to 38 show how to make Karabij using the molds. In picture 25, I used a (1 Dsp = 10 ml) for measuring the size of each piece of dough, and I used ( 1 tsp = 5 ml) for measuring the filling (these measurements are perfect for the yellow mold not the wooden mold, because the wooden mold is bigger in size). You can use Aluminum sheet, or non stick baking sheet, but don’t grease the sheet. Bake at 356 °F (180 °C) for about 10 – 15 minutes or until golden in color, remove from the oven and leave them on the baking sheet to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the sheet. Serve Karabij Halab with Natef. |
Notes and Tips
In winter, the dough may need extra ghee, what you have to do is to make the dough and test it with your hands, if you can shape it without any problems so that’s fine, but if you feel that the dough is not working with you (dough cracks), melt extra 75 g ghee, add some ghee (don’t add the whole 75 g ghee to the dough), add some ghee and test the dough, if it needs more ghee, add again, until you feel that it is easy to work with the dough and you can shape it.
For baking, I used aluminum baking sheet.
Hi Dimah
Thank you for this recipe which is very well explained. In my family, we make karabeej with walnuts not pistachios (which are used for ma3moul) and we add less sugar because the natef is already very sweet.
I have just created my blog of Syrian food but it’s in French
(parisalep.wordpress.com).
Alépine (ex Jiji ;-))
Alépine: Thank you so much for stopping by!
I took the recipe from this website (l2ma.com “I mentioned the website in Adapted from”), the owner of the site is (Mona) from Aleppo, she mentioned that Karabeej can be prepared from pistachios or walnuts, I will add this info to the recipe.
Wish you all the best with your blog!
Thanks again
Hmmm, mouth-watering! I really should get around to baking some of your recipes!
Wonderful post and great recipe! Thanks!
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Here in America, there is something called “Marshmallow Creme” which you can buy in the baking section of grocery stores. It tastes EXACTLY like natif and thats what we use instead of natif.
Nifty Noshing: Thank you very much for your nice comment :)
Joumana: Thanks for stopping by!
vincent: Thanks! I’ll take a look.
Sarah: Thank you so much for coming by!
and thanks for the info.
WWoooWW dima , I`m very glad you try it &like it . your carabeej look fantastic..
keep on great work :)
Mona: Thank you so much for your lovely comment! and thanks for the recipe :)
Marhaba Dimah
Very nice recipe…. and explanation. I used Mona’s recipe too, and used Marshmallow cream instead of Natif which we cannot find here
I like your molds??? are they available in Syria, I have to ask my sisters to get me couple.
Arlette: Thanks for your nice comment! yes these molds are available in Syria, actually they are “Made in Syria”.
Can you please send the detailed recipe for the natef, because I would like to make it.thank you
Elisabeth: I used store bought Natef, I didn’t make it at home. Once I get a chance to make it, I’ll post recipe with step by step details. Thanks for coming by!
I do like your Blog very much Dima. Your recipes are very clear and always work well. I live in the Middle East and would like to know more about the brand of Natef you use. I am looking forward to try tnis authentic recipe!
Thank you so much for stopping by, glad to know that you like the blog and the recipes.
Actually I don’t have the name of the brand, but you can go to any store that specialize in selling Syrian products or Syrian sweets and ask them for Natef and they will give it to you. Hope this helps.