Boushnikha

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Rolling pin or pasta machine
• •Fine noodle cutter, spaghetti cutter, or sharp knife
• •Deep heavy pot for frying
• •Spider strainer
• •Wire rack set over a tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, anise, and cinnamon in a wide bowl. Add the melted butter and rub it through with your fingertips until the flour feels lightly sandy. Beat the egg with the warm milk, orange blossom water, and vinegar, then pour it in little by little. Knead until the dough is smooth, firm, and no longer sticky, about 8 minutes by hand. You want a dough that rolls thin without tearing.

2. 2

   Rest it well

   Divide the dough into 4 pieces, flatten each into a disk, cover, and rest for 30 minutes. This rest is not decoration. It lets the dough relax, so you can roll it thin without fighting it.

3. 3

   Roll and cut

   Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough very thin on a lightly floured surface, or pass it through a pasta machine to about 1.5 mm thick. Cut into rectangles about 8 by 10 cm, then cut each rectangle into very fine strips, stopping just before the edges so the piece stays connected. A spaghetti cutter or fine comb cutter helps, but a sharp knife and patience will do it.

4. 4

   Shape the nests

   Lift one cut rectangle and loosen the strands with your fingertips. Gather the two uncut ends together and twist once, very gently, so the middle opens like loose threads. Do not press the strands into a tight bundle. The open shape is what makes boushnikha lighter than chebakia.

5. 5

   Warm the honey

   Warm the honey in a small pot until fluid, then stir in the orange blossom water and keep it barely warm. It should flow easily, not boil. Honey that boils too hard loses its perfume, and perfume is half the welcome here.

6. 6

   Fry until gold

   Heat the oil to 170°C in a deep pot. Fry 3 or 4 pastries at a time, turning them gently, until pale gold to deep gold and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Keep the oil steady. Too cool and they drink oil; too hot and the outside darkens before the threads cook through.

7. 7

   Soak in honey

   Lift the fried pastries straight into the warm honey and turn them until every thread glistens. Let them sit 2 minutes, then drain on a rack set over a tray. Scatter with toasted sesame while the honey is still tacky.

8. 8

   Serve and share

   Pile the boushnikha on a wide plate and serve with mint tea. They are at their most beautiful the day they are made, crisp at the edges and fragrant with orange blossom. Make enough for the neighbor who knocks late. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte.

Chef Tips

• •If the dough resists the rolling pin, cover it and walk away for 10 minutes. A relaxed dough listens better than a forced one.
• •Use honey you would eat by the spoon. Thin syrup gives shine but no depth, and boushnikha deserves better.
• •Keep the strands loose when shaping. La balance est dans les yeux: open enough for oil and honey to pass through, held enough that the pastry keeps its nest.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made 1 day ahead, wrapped tightly, and chilled. Bring it back to room temperature before rolling.
• •Boushnikha keeps 4 to 5 days in an airtight tin once fully cool, but the first day has the finest bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 35g)