Ingredients
Makes approximately 15 rolls
For the Znoud
375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry
500g ashta (Middle Eastern clotted cream), available from Middle Eastern grocers (or you can make it yourself)
Ghee, for deep frying
For the Syrup
3 cups sugar
1 and ½ cups water
1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
To decorate
Ground pistachio nuts, optional
Method
Before you begin this Fillo Pastry recipe, take your Filo Pastry out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature in its packaging.
To make the syrup
Pace the sugar and water into a medium sized saucepan and mix together. Using your hand, scrape off any excess sugar that has gone up the sides of the saucepan, to prevent it from burning while it is cooking. Place on the heat, bring to the boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, ensuring you don’t stir it while it is cooking. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from the heat. Add rose water and stir. Set aside.
To assemble the Znoud El Sit
Cut your Fillo Pastry to size. Divide your packet of Fillo Pastry into two even stacks. Cutting along the short side of the pastry, cut one stack of pastry into 7cm strips. Cut the second stack of pastry into 8cm strips. You will use 3 x 7cm strips and 3 x 8cm strips to create one roll.
Lay three strips of the 7cm sized pastry in front of you vertically, one on top of each other. Lay three strips of the 8cm sized pastry horizontally over the first three, a little bit passed the halfway mark, to create a cross shape. Fold in the ends of the horizontal sheet of pastry to the edges of the vertical sheet of pastry. Place one heaped tablespoons of ashta in the centre of the crossed over part of the pastry and press it in slightly to form a neat log that lines up to the edges of the pastry. Fold the bottom edge of the vertical pastry over the ashta, then roll it to form a log. Repeat with the remaining pastry and ashta. Be sure to watch Khalil’s video below to master this technique.
Heat your ghee in a medium sized saucepan, ready for frying. Dip the tips of two of your fingers in some water and brush it along the underside of the seam of the pastry roll, so that the pastry sticks together at the end. This will ensure the roll doesn’t explode and unravel when you fry it. Place it gently into the ghee and fry until the pastry is golden, rotating it with a slotted spoon to ensure it is cooked well on both sides. You should be able to fit three or four rolls at a time, depending on the size of your saucepan. Be sure not to overcrowd your saucepan so that the znoud el sit have plenty of room to cook well on all sides. Remove the znoud el sit from the saucepan and immediately plunge them into the syrup for a few seconds, rotating them so that the syrup coats all the sides. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack for any excess syrup to drip off. Repeat with remaining znoud el sit.
Transfer the znoud el sit to a serving plate and sprinkle with pistachio nuts (optional). They can also be served with a side of syrup.
Waych along for Khalil's top tips for making Zoud El Sit