SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
What if your favourite Kunafa came without the plate, spoon or fork? What if you could simply pick it up, take a bite and walk away with a long, glorious cheese pull? Well, Hyderabad’s Kunafa lovers can now officially “Drop The Spoon.”
Kunafa, which has steadily become one of the city’s favourite Middle Eastern desserts, is traditionally served hot on a plate or in a round tray, with its crisp shredded pastry, gooey cheese and generous drizzle of sugar syrup best enjoyed with a spoon. But NOMME and Gourmet Baklava have given the much-loved dessert a rather fun makeover, by putting it on a stick.
The Hyderabad-based brand has launched Kunafa Sticks, inspired by the popular street-style version from Jordan. The idea is simple but interesting. Take the familiar flavours and textures of kunafa, wrap them into a stick, deep-fry them in ghee and finish them with sauces and toppings.
And yes, they are already creating quite a buzz among foodies in Hyderabad.
Kunafa, but make it grab-and-go
The Kunafa Stick is essentially a handheld version of the traditional dessert. Thin shredded kunafa dough wraps around a cheese-filled centre before being deep-fried in ghee until golden and crisp. It is then finished with sugar syrup and the chosen topping or sauce.
There are currently four options – Pistachio, Biscoff, Nutella and Triple Drip.
The Pistachio version stays closer to the traditional flavour profile, with crushed pistachios adding a nutty crunch. Biscoff brings a caramelised, spiced cookie note, while Nutella takes the dessert firmly into chocolate territory. The Triple Drip is for those who believe that when it comes to dessert, more is definitely more.
So, what actually makes it different?
According to Imtiaz Ali Siddiqui, owner of Gourmet Baklava and NOMME, the idea was largely about making kunafa easier to enjoy.
In an exclusive conversation with Siasat.com, he said, “The thing is, it’s easy to eat. You can walk around the mall or anywhere and enjoy it.”
He adds that the format makes it particularly convenient for younger customers. “People pick it up as an ice cream stick and keep eating it, keep moving around. It’s very handy to eat. And the kids love it. So something for the kids as well.”
But the team has also changed the preparation to suit the stick format. The cheese used is slightly different from the one used in their traditional kunafa, while the sticks are completely deep-fried in ghee.
He explains, “Two things make Kunafa sticks different from original Kunafa. One is the cheese that we use in that. It is slightly different and has been tweaked for the stick format and you have a big pull. And then this is deep fried; the Kunafa we make at the store is not deep fried. The original one is made with very less ghee while Kunafa Sticks are totally deep fried in ghee.”
That difference becomes quite apparent when you bite into one. The crunch, the cheese pull and the sweetness.
Siasat’s review and rating
We visited NOMME to see how the Kunafa Sticks are made and, of course, to try them ourselves. We went for the Nutella and Triple Drip.
The first thing you notice is the crunch. The shredded pastry shell is fried until beautifully golden and crisp, giving it that satisfying crack with every bite. Inside is the warm, soft cheese filling, followed by the much-anticipated cheese pull.
And the combination works. The crisp pastry, soft cheese centre, sweetness from the syrup and richness of the ghee-fried shell come together in one indulgent bite.
The Nutella Kunafa Stick is rich, sweet and intensely chocolatey. The chocolate adds another layer of indulgence to an already decadent dessert, making this one particularly appealing to those with a serious sweet tooth.
Rating: 9/10
The Triple Drip, meanwhile, takes the indulgence several notches higher. With multiple sauces coming together, it is sweeter, richer and more dramatic but also the one we enjoyed the most.
Rating: 10/10
If you are someone who loves extremely sweet desserts and cannot resist a good cheese pull, this one is worth trying.
Imtiaz Siddiqui’s personal pick is the Pistachio and Triple Flavour combination, which he says offers “a lot of nice flavours.”
A Jordanian touch behind the stick
While the stick may look like a modern dessert innovation, its roots remain firmly Middle Eastern. The Kunafa Sticks were inspired by the street dessert from Jordan, and the expertise behind the preparation also comes from the region.
Mujahed Hasan Khader AlSaafeen, the Jordanian chef who has been mastering Kunafa in Hyderabad since the birth of Gourmet Baklava in 2017, says getting the balance right was far from instant.
“It is patience and many attempts gets into it. The crunch, the filling and the sweetness all have to arrive together, and that took us a long time to get right,” he said, speaking to Siasat.com.
For him, the first bite is the real test. “It should make a sound before it makes a taste and most important the cheese pull. That is the honest test.”
That perhaps sums up the Kunafa Stick experience rather well, the crack of the pastry comes first, followed by the warm cheese and sweetness.
Changing the way we eat kunafa, not the dessert
The beauty of the Kunafa Stick is that it does not attempt to reinvent kunafa completely. Instead, it changes how the dessert is served and experienced.
As the chef puts it: “It changes the way it is served, not the dessert itself. Kunafa has always been a tray in the middle of the table, and that will never go away. The stick simply lets it travel, so someone can enjoy it anywhere, without a plate.”
And that is probably the biggest appeal of the concept. Kunafa has traditionally been a sit-down, spoon-in-hand dessert. The stick turns it into something you can grab while walking through a mall, share with friends or simply eat without worrying about finding a table.
The bigger Kunafa journey
For Imtiaz Siddiqui, the Kunafa Stick is another step in a journey that began in 2017, when Gourmet Baklava set out to introduce authentic Baklava and Kunafa to a market that was still largely unfamiliar with the desserts.
Today, with Kunafa available across Hyderabad in countless forms, he remains particular about authenticity. The brand makes its own Kunafa dough and cheese in-house and continues to work with chefs from the Middle East.
The brand is also looking at further innovations, including new milk cakes. “We’re trying to do some innovations. We have been doing milk cakes. Typical Turkish milk cakes is what we again started here,” Siddiqui said.
One of the upcoming ideas is a saffron milk cake aimed at Indian palates. “We’re trying to come up with a nice saffron milk cake, which is liked by the Indian palate.”
Where to find them
- NOMME Coffee Theatre: Banjara Hills Road No. 2, opposite KBR Park
- Gourmet Baklava: Banjara Hills Road No. 3 and Sarath City Capital Mall
Kunafa Stick prices
- Biscoff Kunafa Stick — Rs 249
- Pistachio Kunafa Stick — Rs 249
- Nutella Kunafa Stick — Rs 249
- Triple Drip — Rs 299
So, if you are a Kunafa lover especially one with an unapologetically sweet tooth this is one dessert you can quite literally pick up and run with.
SOURCE : SIASAT
