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Mamounieh
Mamounieh: Aleppo's warm semolina pudding fried in butter, with cinnamon and cheese
In the old souks of Aleppo, mamounieh shops open at dawn, serving bowls of this hot, buttery semolina pudding to workers before the day starts. Semolina is toasted in butter, then cooked in a light syrup until it sets soft and spoonable, and dusted with cinnamon; Aleppans eat it with a slice of salty white cheese and warm bread on the side, which makes the sweetness sing. Common mistake: pouring cold syrup onto the hot semolina; use hot syrup so it doesn't seize into lumps. Chef's tip: toast the semolina only to pale straw colour — any darker and it loses its delicate milky flavour. Akkawi and halloumi are often made with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian white cheese if needed.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the syrup
For the pudding
To serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 3 cups water and 4 oz sugar to the boil in a saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Keep hot.
5 minStep 2: Melt 2 ⅛ oz butter or ghee in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat. Add 4 oz coarse semolina and stir for 6–8 minutes until it smells nutty and turns pale straw-coloured.
8 minStep 3: Carefully pour in the hot syrup (it will bubble up), stirring constantly.
1 minStep 4: Keep stirring over a low heat for 5–6 minutes until thick and creamy, like soft porridge that just holds its shape.
6 minStep 5: Spoon into bowls, dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and scatter with ⅔ oz pistachios. Serve hot with 5 ½ oz akkawi or halloumi and warm flatbread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mamounieh take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter or ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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