Reviewed: May 10, 2012

tasty, from Egypt, Palestine, India and the USA.

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Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2011

This was the third recipe I tried of basbousa and thankfully it turned out just the way I wanted. The coconut flavor stood out, like someone else has mentioned too, which was a big plus point, and it wasn;t too cakey- just the right amount of baking powder. If this hadn;t turned out good, I was going to give up on basbousas but I'm definitely going to make this again. oh but I did find it too sweet for my taste even though I used half the amount of sugar in the syrup than suggested.

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moony_oo

Reviewed: Sep. 1, 2011

5 star, but slight changes... make sure to use the #2 semolina flour. Next only use 3/4 cup sugar in batter. In the syrup, I used rose flavoring. Plus I only used 3/4cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to make syrup. I decorated it with sliced almonds which I already had on hand.And after pouring the syrup on, I broiled it in the oven for around 5 minute. When cooking in oven pay attention. Cooks faster than you think. Lowered my oven temp to 335-340. Everyone loved it and I never made it before, so good luck.

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RAHIMA

Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2011

this is a great recipe... just the way my family does it in Egypt. However, i would suggest to increase the syrup recipe a bit and just use 1 tsp of lemon juice to avoid the bitter/sour taste. A definite keeper

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Reviewer:

noha

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Cairo, Al-Qahirah, Egypt

Reviewed: Aug. 5, 2011

Beware! The recipe doesn't specify but someone's suggestion of using #2 semolina or it will not absorb the syrup is true. All I found was #1 and it turned out dense, in spite of using a 9.5 inch pan. I think this would have made all the difference in the world. I made cuts both before and after baking and the syrup only penetrated these cuts leaving most of my basboosa dense and dry. I guess now I have semolina to try to making handmade pasta...lol. That said, the flavor of coconut and the lemon juice in the syrup stood out. I think it would have been good. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding 1 tsp almond extract which gives it a nice flavor!

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BatikWindmillTurban

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Rochester, New York, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 9, 2011

this is prob. the best middle eastern dessert besides baklava....super good

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RunnerGirl

Living In: Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 18, 2010

I know that rose water is a must-have for arabic deserts. But i personally don't prefer it and that is why I chose to leave it out of the recipe. I guess I should have added it as an optional thing in the recipe. Glad you all like it. Felicia

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Felicia Manocchio

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Buffalo, New York, USA

Living In: Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 6, 2009

This is a great recipe (sometimes also called Hareesa)and very much like what my Egyptian mother makes. Unfortunately Mom makes all these wonderful recipes but she can't give you exact measurements-she does it all by sight. I do have some recommendations: Buy the medium semolina (sometimes called #2) because the fine semolina makes it difficult for the syrup to absorb throughout the whole basboosa. Also, at the end of the baking time, turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes to give the top a golden brown color. Last, make sure to double the syrup ingredients. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes then simmer for about 10 minutes.

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Hanan

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: New Rochelle, New York, USA

Living In: London, Ontario, Canada

Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2008

I have tried many times to get a proper recipe for this desert which mom used to make for us as kids. This is as good as it gets and I made it repeatedly for my little family. Ditto with the rose water added to the syrup/mixture or both if u want.

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SUFFY_78

Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2008

this was easy and turned out great. i cut the basboosa into squares before baking and then went over those again after baking to let the syrup distribute nicely. i also added rosewater to the syrup. this tasted really good because of the coconut. i will use this recipe again.

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