Vegan Kunafa? Did you read that right? You most certainly did!
Episode 2 of Cooking Tales features the one and only Manal Alalem – who shows host Ahmed Al Nasheet and special guest Layla Akil what plant-based cooking is really about!
In this episode, Manal makes Vegan Kunafa using only plant-based products: although it is typically made with egg and dairy, Manal shows that the plant-based Kunafa is just as good – if not better.
Ultimately, Manal wants to educate viewers on why plant-based eating is important: not only is it good for your health and well-being but it will help save the planet. Not to mention Flora Plant Butter and Violife cheese are super tasty vegan alternatives!
Moreover, although plant-based ingredients have always been a staple in Arabic culture – especially during Ramadan – Manal remarks that Arabs find sustainability an increasingly important issue: therefore – in order to achieve a more sustainable global community – Manal recommends that even one plant-based meal per week would be a good starting point.Â
If you are interested in cooking this plant-based Kunafa at home, check out the recipe below! Also head to www.flora.com to ensure that you’re using the most delicious and sustainable vegan ingredients.
Vegan Kunafa
Prep time: 15 mins    Cook time: 25 mins    Total time: 40 mins    Serves: Serves 6
For the Violife cheese filling
- 1 cup soaked cashews (or boiled, for 15 mins)
- ¼ block of firm tofu (approximately 115 grams or 4 oz)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp Tapioca starch (AKA Tapioca flour)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup of water
For the Kunafa topping
- ½ a packet of shredded phyllo pastry, defrosted
- 4 tbsp of Flora Plant Butter melted
- Agave or simple sugar syrup with 1 tsp of orange blossom water
- Pistachios to garnish
Instructions
- Start by preparing your Violife cheese filling. Drain and rinse cashews then add all remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. The mix will be watery at this point.
- Pour the Violife cheese mixture into a small pot on medium heat and cook while stirring regularly. As the mixture heats it will start to form clumps before taking on a gooey and melty consistency. The longer you cook it for the more firm it will become, but you still want it to remain spreadable so don’t overdo it. If your Violife cheese firms up too much you can add water and stir on low heat which should soften it up.
- Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 150 C.
- If your phyllo pastry is in long strings, you’ll want to shred it by pulsing gently in a food processor until you have vermicelli length shreds first.
- Place the shredded pastry in a large bowl and massage thoroughly with the Flora Plant Butter.
- Grease a medium sized pan (12-16 in) with any excess Flora Plant Butter and press half of the kunafa mixture into the base so that it forms a compact even layer about 1 cm thick.
- Pour the Violife cheese mixture on top and spread evenly. Cover with the remaining kunafa mixture and pat down gently.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden brown – you could broil to achieve a deeper colouring on top but be careful it doesn’t burn!
- Allow to cool then drizzle with agave or a simple sugar syrup and pistachios to serve.
Enjoy! Also – make sure to follow Layla, Ahmed, Manal, and Flora Plant on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
Layla Akil: Instagram
Ahmed Al Nasheet: Instagram
Manal Alalem: Instagram