KAHK, KAHK-AL-EID

Kahk or Kahk al Eid is a small circular biscuit that originated in Egypt and is eaten across the Arab world to celebrate Eid al fitr .In addition to its role in Eid it is often served to guest,It is also eaten as a part of a wedding feast and is occasionally served at other holiday feasts.

Kahk is basically covered with powdered sugar and can be stuffed with "AGAMEYA"-a mixture of honey ,nuts,and ghee, or can be stuffed with walnut, pistachios or dates or simply served plain.

Baking kahk is a traditional and social activity in the region , women of village or neighborhood , Christian and Muslim alike gather together to bake kahk ,they chat and swap stories and recipes. Egyptian will prepare their kahk at home before taking it to a communal or commercial bakery to be baked and cooled .Kahk are exchanged as a gift in families and friends.

Supplies for first filling:

• 2 cups of de seeded dates

• 1cup of Almond

Process of making first filling : Take 2 cups of de seeded dates and 1 cup of almond add them into a food processor blend it .Make a small little ball of the mixture.

Supplies for second filling:

• 1tbs ghee
• 1tbs flour
• 1tsp toasted sesame
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup pistachios

Process of making second filling : In a pot add 1tbs ghee and 1tbs flour on a medium heat and heat it until it is well combined then add 1tsp toasted sesame, mix it then add 1/4 cup honey keep stirring it until it is thick. Remove from heat then add 1/2 cup pistachios mix well let the mixture rest for 10 min. Make small balls of the mixture. Pistachios can be replaced with walnuts or almonds .

• 1 KG ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1/2 KG GHEE
• KAHK SEASONING : 6-7 PODS OF GREEN CARDAMOMS REMOVE SEEDS FROM IT , 6-7 CLOVES, 1/4 TSP CINNAMON POWDER
• 4 TBS TOASTED SESAME SEEDS
• 3/4 CUP MILK
• 1/2 TSP YEAST
• 1/2 TSP SUGAR FOR YEAST

In a bowl add 1 kg flour basically it is 2 parts of flour and 1 part of ghee so you can multiply recipe however you want to keep in mind that you should not measure it with measuring cups because if you measure this with measuring cup you will end up with way more ghee then you need for this recipe.

In a mixing bowl add 1 kg flour to that I am gonna kahk seasoning basically it is a blend of spices that gives a really nice scent to kahk .For making smell of kahk you have to use seeds of green cardamom and cloves. Grind both of them into fine powder if you have kahk seasoning you can add that too ,add it to the flour then add cinnamon powder give it a mix then add toasted sesame seeds give it a mix .

In a saucepan add 1/2 kg ghee keep it on medium heat until it starts to bubble be careful not to burn the ghee ,when you put this ghee into flour and makes contact it creates that taste the taste of kahk . Slowly add the ghee to the flour you see those bubbles forming in the flour this is exactly what you are looking for if you did not heat up your ghee you will not get these bubbles its almost heating the flour just a little bit .You gonna get a smoky flavor by it , mix well

You can get ghee from nearby Indian Pakistani Afgan store, if you don't have it just make it because it is the main ingredient in kahk .

Take 1kg of high quality butter in a heavy saucepan let it melt completely on high heat once it is melted it will start foaming let it boil till all the foam evaporates and your butter splits into fat and milk.turn the heat to medium low and let it simmer till the milk evaporates and your milk solidifies on the bottom of the pot .Pour out into a sterile container using a cheese cloth lined with funnel or sieve let it cool overnight and set.

Now its time to add yeast but be careful ,right now the mixture is really hot it gonna burn the yeast so you want the mixture to cool down a little bit while the mixture is cooling down we gonna preparing the yeast , In a bowl or a glass add 1/4 cup of warm milk add yeast and sugar to it give it a stir let it rest for 5 min In those 5 min your dough have cool down enough to introduce yeast . Here is the yeast activated add to the mixture slowly to get all incorporated to that I am gonna add 1/2 cup milk slowly until its fully mixed.

Take a small ball of dough flat it add the first filling cover it make a ball of it ,repeat the same for another filling .I am making another kahk ball that is plain with no stuffing because it is mostly loved plain. In restaurant and shops we find these kahk cookies design in a really cute and super fancy manner but at home we just keep it simple ,there is a specific tool to design .

Let the kahk ball rest in oven for couple of hour without turning the oven on .

Bake the kahk for 10-12 min or until you look at the bottom and it is brown remove it out of oven let it cool down .

Remove the kahk on plate make a tower of it. I have intentionally made the kahk ball large and small some cracked but dont worry about the crack to get the memories back where all the people get together for making kahk for EID UL FITR after ramadan elder and younger get together to make kahk where the elders make the perfect kahk and the younger who are helping them actually enjoy making it make this uneven kahk but they get very happy to make that ,elders and younger keep their kahk separate because the kahk made by elders have to gift it to others while the kahk made by youngers keep kahk for them only.

Traditional way of serving kahk, kahk is usually known to be served with tons of powdered sugar on the top, some people would pick up the kahk dip it into powder sugar and then eat and that's because if you notice that the recipe does not contain any sugar only that the exception it is used for yeast but it is for yeast and not for flavoring the kahk , sweetness comes from the filling the filling has it own sweetness, where some like it as it is without powdered sugar ,its actually the perfect cookie to have with tea if your tea is sweet .Mix all the stuffed and plain kahk and play game whether that get their desirable kahk .

The kahk cookies is ready to eat.They will just melt in your mouth. Well it is not just a cookie for Egyptians its an emotion .