Kalburabastı dessert is one of the most famous sugar syrup desserts of Turkish cuisine. If you are a fan of desserts that has sugar syrup in them, Kalburabastı dessert is for you. It has been made in our cuisine since the Ottoman Era.
If you are not familiar with the Turkish language, the name of this delicious dessert may sound weird and not easy to spell. But its name has a direct relation to how it is made.
Let’s divide the Kalburabastı word into two parts. The first part Kalbur word means strainer in English and this word came to the Turkish language from Ottoman Language. The second part of the word Bastı means pressuring by hand in English. When we are making this dessert, we use a strainer for flour and in the end, we press the dessert dough to the grater to give decoration to the top of the dessert. These may sound gibberish to you but don’t worry. You will understand what I mean when you are making this magnificent dessert or watching the video below.
The Origin
During the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566), Ottoman Empire expand throughout all Balkans and reached the gates of Vienna – Hungary. Through this expansion period, lots of new tastes got into Ottoman Cuisine. We have no specific evidence regarding the origin of the Kalburabastı dessert but due to my research; it is similar to the Hurmašice or Hurme dessert which can be found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and other parts of former Yugoslavia.
How it is made?
You can make most of the Ottoman and Turkish cuisine foods by just reading my recipe cards; however, there are some recipes that if you watch how it is done, it just be better. This dessert is one of them. Below; I have found the best and the shortest video from youtube about how the Kalburabastı desert is done. Before you start to make this delicious dessert, just check it out.
Pro Tip: Making the syrup first is the most important part of this recipe. Because the syrup needs to be as cool as room temperature. After we take out the boiling syrup from the heat, it takes a minimum of 1 hour to cool off and come to room temperature level.
Kalburabastı
Ingredients
For the Syrup
- 3 cups Sugar
- 3 cups Water
- 1/4 Fresh Lemon Juice Squeezed
For the Dough
- 3 1/2 cups White Flour
- 100 g Unsalted Butter Room Temprature
- 100 ml Vegetable Oil
- 100 ml Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Plain Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Semolina
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
For the Filling
- 150 g Walnut Kernel Cut walnut Kernels with a knife.
For Garnishing
- 100 g Ground Pistachios
Instructions
-
In a saucepan pour the water and add the sugar. Bring the heat to medium level and let it boil for 20minutes. Before you take it out from the heat, add the squeezed ¼ fresh lemon juice in it and boil 2-3 minutes more. Then set aside until the syrup completely cool as room temperature.
-
In a bowl; add the room temperature unsalted butter, vegetable oil, whole milk, plain yogurt, semolina and mix them very well. Using a spatula will help you to mix the ingredients well.
-
Add white flour and baking powder to the mix by using a flour sifter. And then knead the mix very well until all combined.
-
After making the dough, cover the bowl with stretch film and place it to the refrigerator to rest for10 minutes.
-
Take the dough from the refrigerator and divide the dough into 20 equal pieces. Make small balls.
-
Take one of the pieces and flatten it gently in your palm or a clean working surface to give oval shape.
-
Place the oval-shaped dough piece on to the grater and fill it with grounded walnuts and join the folds at the ends to seal it.
-
Remove it from the grater and you will see grid pattern on the surface. Place it on a baking tray.
-
Repeat the same process until all dough balls finish.
-
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
-
Bake them 25 minutes. Until they get a golden color.
-
After they get a golden color, take out the baking tray from the oven and put it on to the kitchen counter and then drizzle the room temperature syrup immediately from the top of pasteries.
-
Leave it to absorb the syrup for 1 hour.
-
Remove the pastries from the tray and place them into the deep serving plate and take the remaining syrup from the baking tray and pour evenly from the top of pastries by using a spoon.
-
Garnish the pastries with ground pistachio.
-
Serve.
Recipe Notes
Tip: Serve with Turkish Tea or Turkish Coffe.
