Mango Basbousa ~ Arabic Style Baked Semolina Dessert
Mango Basbousa is a Middle Eastern cake made with semolina and soaked in sugar syrup infused with saffron and rose water.
Servings 6
Equipment
- Baking dish (7 by 7 inches)
Ingredients
For Basbousa
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 3 tablespoon mango pulp
- 3 tablespoon yogurt dry
- 4 tablespoon clarified butter ghee
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon tahini sesame paste
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For Syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon rose water
- ½ teaspoon orange blossom water
- 2 whole green cardamom slightly crushed
- ¼ teaspoon saffron
- 1 tablespoon tahini sesame paste for greasing the baking dish
- 6 almonds for garnishing soaked and peeled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (gas mark 4).
- Grease the baking dish with 1 tablespoon tahini or as needed such that it covers all the sides and base.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together semolina, mango pulp, yogurt, clarified butter (ghee), lemon juice, sugar, baking powder, and tahini to a smooth batter. The batter will be thick and not runny.
- Pour the semolina mixture into the baking dish and spread it evenly.
- With help of a wet knife, draw lines and make cuts of the desired size for serving each person. Place an almond on each piece.
- Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till the crust turns golden.
- Turn off the oven and let the basbousa be in it to keep it warm, and till you prepare the sugar syrup.
- For Sugar Syrup: Heat sugar and water till it starts to boil. There is no need for stirring. As soon as it starts to boil add cardamom, lemon juice, rose water, saffron, and orange blossom water. Reduce the heat and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
- As the syrup turns thicker, turn off the gas and pour the hot syrup over the hot basbousa.
- While adding syrup to the cake, both basbousa, as well as the syrup, should be hot.