Easy Namoura (Semolina Cake)

Ingredients

• 2 cups coarse semolina
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup yogurt at room temperature
• Nuts for garnish
• Syrup (qatir or shira) to pour over the namoura
• For more Arabic desserts, here's the link: How to prepare sfouf

Method

1. Rub the semolina with the ghee for about 10 minutes until the semolina has absorbed the ghee well. Add the sugar, baking soda, yogurt, and baking powder and knead well.
   Timers: 10 min
2. Grease a Pyrex dish with ghee then wait for the ghee to set on the bottom of the dish before spreading the namoura dough. Cut the dough, garnish it with pine nuts and almonds, and let it rest for about 3 hours.
   Timers: 180 min
3. Place the namoura pan into a hot oven at 180°C for a maximum of half an hour or until the namoura is cooked. Then brown the top. Pour lukewarm syrup over the namoura while it is hot.
4. When the namoura cools, place it in the fridge for one hour before serving.
5. How to make the syrup:
6. Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in 1 cup of water. Add a squeeze of lemon. Let the syrup boil for about 10 minutes before adding a splash of rose water and a splash of orange blossom water, stir and remove from the heat.
   Timers: 10 min
7. Rania Salloum
8. For more Arabic sweets, here's the link: How to prepare sfouf