Lebanon: Nammoura



Nammoura is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet treat that everyone, especially the children, enjoys.

Nammoura

14 oz. Cream of Wheat
1/4 pound butter, melted
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cups sugar
16 whole raw shelled almonds
3 cups cold Atter


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix well all ingredients except almonds. Pour into a 13 x 9-in. pan. Top with almonds (1 per serving, on center).

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cut into squares or rectangles. Pour cold atter syrup over namoura immediately.

Yield: 1 tray.

NOTE: It is important to keep namoura covered to prevent dryness.


Atter Syrup

This is the standard syrup that most Arabs pour over all things sweet. This syrup is used for a number of Middle Eastern pastries and treats. It will keep for a very long time stored covered in the refrigerator.

3 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups water
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp rose water or orange blossom water

Dissolve sugar in water. Add lemon juice, bring to a boil. Stir occasionally until syrup slightly thickens (about 10 minutes). Add rose water towards end of cooking time. Let stand to cool.

Yield: 3 cups.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the recipe! We call that stuff "Harisa".I'm not sure if it's the same thing but it looks and sounds like it is. One question , though , do you pour all 3 cups of the sugar syrup (Atter) on top of them? It seems like too much.

Thanks again! :)

Chef Mom said...

Good question! The Atter Syrup recipe is pretty standard (I believe). It won't make three cups of the syrup, but it will most likely make more than you need to cover the cookies.

You can use as much (or as little) of the Atter as you would like. I tend to use it very lightly.