Birds nest pastries for AWED Middle Eastern Cuisine

Being new to middle-eastern cooking and when Siri announced this AWED I wanted to try my hand in it. As my seet tooth lead me I religiously browsed through the dessert link which she has linked in her post.

The recipe name actually drawn myself to it. And when I searched the google for some pics one picture really inspired me to make it.

I made them today. Since the stuffing can be any nut I settled down with some cucumber seeds (thats what I could find in the pantry this morning) mixed them with little brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.

The only but significant change I did to this recipe is deep frying in peanut oil instead of baking the nests as my recent oven baking wiht pastry dough is not that much successful. It tasted like stuffed badhusha but more delicious as the crunchy seeds added a zing to the dish. I know its a keeper for sure.

Bird’s nest (adapted from here)

SYRUP
½ cup sugar
½ cup water

NUT FILLING
½ cup cucumber seeds
2 Tbs damerara sugar
1 pinch cinnamon

PASTRIES
4 sheets fillo pastry (I made my own pastry)
1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
Golden Raisins – 15 fried in a teaspoon of ghee

Combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil, add lemon rind and juice. Boil for 15 minutes without stirring. Cool and strain into a bowl. Chill.

Mix the cucumber seeds and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the confectioner’s sugar to the nuts in the large bowl.

Roll out the pastry dough thinly and cut to make 4 rectangles.

Pull one rectangle and spread it out on a wooden pastry board or marble countertop as thin as possible. Lightly brush the sheet with melted butter and fold it in half lengthwise. Brush the folded pastry with butter again and sprinkle 1 Tbl of the nut filling about 3/4 of an inch near the folded edge. Roll the pastry over the filling and continue rolling to within 1½ inches of the other edge.

Lift the rolled pastry up with the flap hanging towards you and shape it into a ring that curls away from you. Tuck the loose edges of pastry under in the center of th ring to form a nest. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all fillo pastry sheets have been used.

Heat peanut oil for deep frying and once its hot fry the nests till golden brown and take them out and drain in paper towels.

Pour half of the chilled sugar and lemon mixure over the hot pastries. Let cool, then sprinkle some of the fried raisins in the center of each pastry. Place pastries on a serving platter and put the reserved sugar and lemon syrup in a bowl with a spoon for individuals to add later if they choose.

Serve and Enjoy! They turned to be really delicious. It did not take up much oil and hence frying is a good alternative. They tasted like stuffed badhusha. I think if we roll them on toasted vermicelli before frying we could create an exact bird’s nest effect!

This is my entry for AWED Middle eastern cuisine hoste by lovely Siri.