[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":392},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:sudanese-basbousa":3,"recipe:country:sudan":187},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"emoji":9,"summary":10,"intro":11,"story":12,"whyThis":13,"tips":18,"substitutions":25,"variations":42,"serveWith":52,"storage":54,"faq":55,"equipment":71,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":78,"restMinutes":79,"difficulty":80,"course":81,"diet":83,"mainIngredients":85,"ingredients":90,"instructions":144,"nutrition":170,"images":174,"keywords":178,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"sudanese-basbousa","Basbousa (Sudanese Semolina Cake in Lemon Syrup)","بسبوسة","bas-BOO-sa","sudan","🍰","Coarse semolina left to swell in yogurt and butter, baked to a sandy gold, scored into diamonds and drenched with cardamom-lemon syrup the moment it comes out of the oven.","Basbousa is a cake made from coarse semolina rather than flour, which is why it eats nothing like a sponge. The grains are stirred with yogurt, melted butter and sugar and left to swell before baking, so the crumb ends up granular and slightly damp, closer to a set pudding than to a cake. Straight from the oven it takes a syrup sharpened with lemon and perfumed with cardamom, which soaks down through the diamond-scored top. In Sudan the cake usually carries coconut through the batter and a peanut pressed into each diamond, and it is cut small and eaten with tea.","Semolina soaked in syrup is one of the most widely shared sweets in the eastern Mediterranean and the Arab world, and it changes name at almost every border: basbousa in Egypt and Sudan, namoura or harissa in the Levant, revani in Turkey and Greece, and other names again further east. Trying to award it to a single country is a waste of an afternoon. The technique — coarse grain, dairy, fat, hot cake, cool syrup — is old and portable, and each place has had long enough with it to make the result feel entirely local.\n\nWhat makes the Sudanese version its own is mostly what goes into and onto it. Desiccated coconut is worked through the batter far more commonly than it is in Egypt, giving a chewier, slightly fibrous crumb. Peanuts, not almonds, are often what studs the top, which is unsurprising in a country where groundnuts are a major crop and peanut paste turns up in savoury stews and salads as a matter of course. Cardamom is used with a heavier hand, and the syrup is usually kept fairly sharp with lemon rather than being scented with rose or orange blossom.\n\nIt belongs to the tea table rather than to the end of a meal. Sudanese hospitality runs on rounds of sweet tea and coffee spiced with ginger and cardamom, and a tray of basbousa cut into small diamonds sits alongside them, picked at over a long conversation. It appears in quantity at Eid, at weddings and at gatherings after Ramadan, partly because it is genuinely better made a few hours ahead — the syrup needs time to travel through the semolina — and partly because a single large tray feeds a room without anyone having to plate anything.",[14,15,16,17],"Rests the semolina in the yogurt for half an hour before baking, which is what turns a gritty cake into a tender one.","Pours cool syrup over hot cake, the pairing that soaks in evenly instead of sitting on the surface.","Scores the diamonds before baking rather than after, so the syrup runs down the cuts to the base.","Uses the coconut and peanut finish that marks the Sudanese version rather than a generic Egyptian recipe.",[19,20,21,22,23,24],"Use coarse semolina, the gritty kind sold for couscous or halva. Fine semolina absorbs differently and bakes into something closer to a dense sponge cake.","Do not skip the 30-minute rest. Semolina that has not swollen stays sandy on the tongue no matter how long you bake it.","Grease the tin with tahini rather than butter if you have it. It stops the base sticking and adds a faint toasted note that suits the cake.","Score all the way to the bottom of the tin with a well-oiled knife before baking, so the syrup has channels rather than a sealed top.","Have the syrup cooled and waiting before the cake comes out. Hot syrup on hot cake makes the crumb slump and go pasty.","Give it at least an hour before cutting. Basbousa eaten straight after syruping tastes wet at the top and dry underneath.",[26,30,34,38],{"original":27,"swap":28,"note":29},"Coarse semolina","Half coarse and half fine semolina, or fine polenta","A half-and-half mix gives a softer crumb that many people prefer. Polenta works but tastes distinctly of maize and needs an extra 50 ml of yogurt.",{"original":31,"swap":32,"note":33},"Yogurt","Buttermilk, or plain milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice stirred in","The acidity matters more than the thickness, since it reacts with the baking powder. Thinner substitutes need 10 minutes longer resting.",{"original":35,"swap":36,"note":37},"Peanuts on top","Blanched almonds, or nothing at all","Almonds are the standard elsewhere in the region. A plain top is perfectly normal too and makes the cake nut-free.",{"original":39,"swap":40,"note":41},"Butter or ghee","A neutral oil such as sunflower","Oil makes a slightly lighter, less rich cake and is a common shortcut. You lose the browned-butter aroma along the top edge.",[43,46,49],{"name":44,"description":45},"Coconut-heavy basbousa","Double the desiccated coconut and cut the semolina by 50 g. The crumb turns chewier and the cake holds syrup even more readily.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Cream-topped","Spread a thin layer of thick cream or ashta over the batter before baking, which sets into a pale band under the golden crust.",{"name":50,"description":51},"Date syrup finish","Replace half the sugar syrup with date syrup loosened with hot water and lemon, giving a darker, more caramel result.",[53],"Small diamonds on a tray with sweet black tea, or Sudanese coffee spiced with ginger and cardamom.","Keep basbousa covered at room temperature for up to 4 days; it improves for the first day as the syrup finishes distributing itself and only starts drying at the edges after that. Refrigeration makes the butter firm and the crumb tight, so avoid it unless the kitchen is very hot, and let refrigerated cake come back to room temperature before serving. It freezes well for 2 months, already syruped and cut into portions, wrapped tightly — thaw at room temperature rather than in an oven, which drives the syrup out.",[56,59,62,65,68],{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why is my basbousa gritty?","The semolina did not have enough time or liquid to swell. Coarse semolina needs to sit in the yogurt mixture for at least 30 minutes before baking so each grain softens from the inside, and it needs enough syrup afterwards to finish the job. If the batter looked stiff and dry when it went into the tin, add 30 to 50 ml more yogurt next time and extend the rest to 45 minutes.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Should the syrup be hot or cold when it goes on?","Cool syrup onto hot cake. That combination gets absorbed steadily and keeps the top from turning gluey. Hot syrup on hot cake floods the crumb and can make the surface slump, while cold syrup on cold cake barely penetrates at all and pools in the bottom of the tin. Make the syrup first, then bake, and it will be at the right temperature.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"What is the difference between basbousa, namoura and revani?","Very little in principle — all are coarse semolina cakes soaked in sugar syrup. The differences are regional details: namoura in the Levant is often plainer with an almond on each diamond, revani in Turkey and Greece tends towards a lighter, more cake-like crumb with more egg, and Sudanese basbousa commonly carries coconut in the batter and peanuts on top. The technique is the same everywhere.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"Can I make it without eggs?","Yes. Plenty of traditional versions contain no egg at all and rely on yogurt and baking powder alone, which is how this recipe is written. The result is denser and more granular, which is the point of basbousa rather than a fault. Adding an egg gives a lighter, springier crumb closer to revani.",{"question":69,"answer":70},"How long should it sit before I cut it?","Give it at least an hour after syruping, and ideally three. The syrup needs time to move from the surface down through the semolina, and cutting too early gives you saturated tops and dry bases. The diamonds were scored before baking, so the cake will separate cleanly whenever you come back to it.",[72,73,74,75],"20 x 20 cm or 23 cm round baking tin","Small saucepan","Mixing bowl","Sharp knife",12,20,40,90,"easy",[82],"dessert",[84],"vegetarian",[86,87,88,89],"semolina","yogurt","butter","coconut",[91,96,100,105,109,113,116,119,122,125,129,131,134,139],{"qty":92,"unit":93,"name":94,"group":95},300,"g","granulated sugar","For the syrup",{"qty":97,"unit":98,"name":99,"group":95},200,"ml","water",{"ref":101,"qty":102,"unit":103,"name":104,"group":95},"lemon",1,"piece","lemon, juiced",{"ref":106,"qty":107,"unit":103,"name":108,"group":95},"cardamom",4,"green cardamom pods, cracked",{"ref":86,"qty":110,"unit":93,"name":111,"group":112},400,"coarse semolina","For the cake",{"ref":87,"qty":114,"unit":93,"name":115,"group":112},250,"plain full-fat yogurt",{"qty":117,"unit":93,"name":118,"group":112},150,"caster sugar",{"ref":88,"qty":120,"unit":93,"name":121,"group":112},120,"butter or ghee, melted",{"ref":89,"qty":123,"unit":93,"name":124,"group":112},60,"desiccated coconut",{"qty":126,"unit":127,"name":128,"group":112},2,"tsp","baking powder",{"qty":102,"unit":127,"name":130,"group":112},"ground cardamom",{"qty":102,"unit":132,"name":133,"group":112},"pinch","fine salt",{"ref":135,"qty":102,"unit":136,"name":137,"note":138,"group":112},"tahini","tbsp","tahini, for greasing the tin","or extra melted butter",{"ref":140,"qty":77,"unit":103,"name":141,"optional":142,"group":143},"peanuts","blanched peanuts or almonds",true,"To finish",[145,150,155,158,163,166],{"title":146,"text":147,"timerSeconds":148,"tip":149},"Make the syrup first","Bring the sugar, water and cracked cardamom pods to the boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 8 minutes until the syrup is just thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the lemon juice, take it off the heat and leave it to cool completely.",480,"The lemon goes in at the end so the fresh sourness survives; boiled long it turns flat.",{"title":151,"text":152,"timerSeconds":153,"tip":154},"Mix the batter and let it swell","Stir the semolina, caster sugar, coconut, baking powder, ground cardamom and salt together, then work in the yogurt and melted butter until you have a thick, spoonable mixture with no dry pockets. Cover and leave it for 30 minutes.",1800,"It will visibly stiffen as the semolina drinks the yogurt. If it turns almost solid, loosen it with a splash of yogurt.",{"title":156,"text":157},"Press into the tin and score","Smear the tin with tahini, spread the batter in an even layer about 2 cm deep and flatten the top with wet fingers. Cut diamonds right down to the base with an oiled knife, and press a peanut into the centre of each one.",{"title":159,"text":160,"timerSeconds":161,"tip":162},"Bake until deep gold","Bake at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is an even golden brown, the edges have pulled slightly from the tin and pressing the centre gives a firm, springy resistance rather than a wet dip.",2100,"Colour is the doneness signal here. A pale basbousa tastes raw and starchy even when it is technically cooked.",{"title":164,"text":165},"Syrup it immediately","Take the tin out and ladle the cooled syrup slowly over the hot cake, working along the scored lines so it runs down rather than pooling. It will hiss and look like far too much liquid for the tin to hold.",{"title":167,"text":168,"timerSeconds":169},"Rest, then cut and serve","Leave the basbousa in its tin for at least an hour, until the syrup has disappeared into the crumb and the surface is glossy but no longer wet. Cut along the scored diamonds and lift them out, and serve at room temperature with tea.",3600,{"calories":171,"protein":172,"carbs":173,"fat":76,"fiber":126,"sugar":78,"estimated":142},390,6,64,[175],{"src":176,"alt":177},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsudanese-basbousa\u002Fhero.svg","Golden semolina cake cut into diamonds in a tin, each piece topped with a peanut and glossy with syrup",[179,180,181,182,183,184],"basbousa","semolina cake","sudanese dessert","syrup cake","coconut semolina","cardamom syrup","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":188,"total":389,"page":102,"limit":390,"hasMore":391},[189,216,223,246,266,288,310,332,350,369],{"slug":190,"title":191,"nativeName":192,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":193,"cookMinutes":76,"restMinutes":194,"difficulty":80,"course":195,"diet":198,"mainIngredients":202,"images":205,"keywords":209,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"agashe","Agashe (Sudanese Peanut-Crusted Grilled Beef)","أقاشي",25,30,[196,197],"street-food","main",[199,200,201],"dairy-free","gluten-free","halal-friendly",[140,203,204],"beef-chuck","chili-flakes",[206],{"src":207,"alt":208},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fagashe\u002Fhero.svg","Skewers of peanut-crusted grilled beef over charcoal with raw onion rings and tomato wedges",[190,210,211,212,213,214,215],"agashi","peanut crust","grilled beef","sudanese street 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drink","tabaldi","sudanese drink","ramadan drink","bouye","iftar",{"slug":247,"title":248,"nativeName":249,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":77,"difficulty":80,"course":250,"diet":251,"mainIngredients":252,"images":257,"keywords":261,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"kamounia","Kamounia (Sudanese Cumin Liver and Lung Fry)","كمونية",[197],[199,200,201,233],[253,254,255,256],"cumin","onion","tomato","garlic",[258],{"src":259,"alt":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkamounia\u002Fhero.svg","Dark browned pieces of cumin-coated lamb liver and lung in a steel pan with chilli and lemon",[247,253,262,263,264,265],"lamb liver","offal","sudanese","quick fry",{"slug":267,"title":268,"nativeName":269,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":193,"restMinutes":270,"difficulty":271,"course":272,"diet":274,"mainIngredients":275,"images":278,"keywords":282,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"kisra","Kisra (Sudanese Fermented Sorghum Crepe)","كسرة",1440,"medium",[273],"bread",[84,232,200,199,233],[276,277],"flour","yeast",[279],{"src":280,"alt":281},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkisra\u002Fhero.svg","Stack of thin pale Sudanese kisra sheets folded on a woven tray beside a bowl of stew",[267,283,284,285,286,287],"sorghum flatbread","fermented bread","sudanese bread","injera","gluten-free flatbread",{"slug":289,"title":290,"nativeName":291,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":292,"cookMinutes":79,"difficulty":271,"course":293,"diet":294,"mainIngredients":295,"images":299,"keywords":303,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"mullah-waika","Mullah Waika (Sudanese Dried Okra Stew)","ملاح ويكة",15,[197],[199,200,201,233],[296,297,254,298],"okra","lamb","tomato-paste",[300],{"src":301,"alt":302},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmullah-waika\u002Fhero.svg","Glossy dark red Sudanese okra stew with chunks of lamb, trailing in a thread from a raised spoon",[304,305,306,307,308,309],"mullah waika","weika","dried okra","sudanese stew","okra powder","lamb stew",{"slug":311,"title":312,"nativeName":313,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":292,"cookMinutes":77,"restMinutes":77,"difficulty":80,"course":314,"diet":317,"mainIngredients":318,"images":321,"keywords":325,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"salata-aswad","Salata Aswad (Sudanese Fried Aubergine and Peanut Salad)","سلطة أسود",[315,316],"appetizer","side",[84,200],[319,320,87,101],"eggplant","peanut-butter",[322],{"src":323,"alt":324},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsalata-aswad\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of creamy pale Sudanese aubergine and peanut salad topped with green chilli and oil",[326,327,328,329,330,331],"salata aswad","aubergine salad","peanut butter","sudanese salad","eggplant dip","mezze",{"slug":333,"title":334,"nativeName":335,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":292,"cookMinutes":292,"difficulty":80,"course":336,"diet":337,"mainIngredients":338,"images":340,"keywords":344,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"shaiyah","Shaiyah (Sudanese Quick-Fried Spiced Beef)","شية",[197],[199,200,201,233],[203,254,339],"black-pepper",[341],{"src":342,"alt":343},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshaiyah\u002Fhero.svg","Seared strips of peppery Sudanese beef with softened onion in a black cast-iron pan",[333,345,346,347,348,349],"sudanese beef","pan-fried beef","butcher shop","black pepper","quick dinner",{"slug":351,"title":352,"nativeName":353,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":107,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":79,"restMinutes":123,"difficulty":354,"course":355,"diet":357,"mainIngredients":358,"images":359,"keywords":363,"publishedAt":185,"updatedAt":185,"authorSlug":186},"sharmout-abiad","Sharmout Abiad (Sudanese Dried Meat and Yogurt 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top",[383,384,385,264,386,387,388],"asida","aseeda","sorghum","dura","mullah","african staple",10,24,false,1787360052551]