Desserts
ChefOla Faour
Halawet al-Jibn (Cheese Halawa)
A detailed homemade recipe for halawet al-jibn — easy to make and successful every time. Brushed with pistachios and lemon blossom, served with syrup.
Halawet al-jibn is one of the most popular Arabic desserts. It’s simple to prepare at home — no need to buy it ready-made.
Ingredients
Start here, then move straight into the method.
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese (or 1/2 kg)
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- 1 tsp rose water
- Qareesheh (drained curds)
- 5 cups milk
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- Qimeer cream
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp sugar
- lemon blossom for garnish
- pistachios for garnish
- Syrup (Qatr / Shireh)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- This link is to Rasmiyah’s method for making sha'ibiyat as well.
Method
Follow the cooking sequence without leaving the page.
- Start by preparing the curds.. put the milk in a pot over the heat until it begins to boil.
- Add the vinegar and yogurt and leave on the heat until the curds separate.
- Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon, then place them on a thin clean cloth in a sieve so all the water drains from them.
- Let it cool aside.
- Prepare the cream (qaimar) by putting 1 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of sugar and cornstarch and mix them well cold, then put them in a pot on the heat and continue stirring until you obtain a thick cream.
- Add rose water and orange blossom water, stir, then set aside to cool.
- Blend the qaimar cream with the curds in a food processor or by hand until they are uniform.. place the cream in the fridge.
- Prepare the halawa dough... put 1 cup water and sugar in a pot on the heat and leave until the sugar dissolves and the water begins to boil.
- Add the cheese and stir until it melts well.. then gradually add the semolina and stir well until you obtain a homogeneous elastic dough.
- Put a little syrup on a clean surface.. then place the hot halawa on it and spread it by hand or with a rolling pin into a rectangle.
- Place the cold cream at one edge and roll it into a thin roll and cut it... continue in this way until the dough is finished.
- Cut the halawet al-jibn rolls into small pieces or to the desired size and garnish them with pistachios and lemon blossom.
- Serve the halawet al-jibn with syrup.
- Rasmiya Majdoub
- This link is to the method of making shaibiyat in Rasmiya's style as well.
Recipe tags
DessertsInternationalVegetarian
Notes and serving ideas
- sha'ibiyat
