For many Indonesians, the month of Ramadan brings classic sweets. There is kolak , banana with or without sweet potatoes with coconut cream and palm sugar, bubur kacang hijau , sweet mung bean porridge, cendol , sweet ice drinks with green rice flour jelly, and a large array of traditional sweet cakes(Silicone cake mould).

There is a trend in Jakarta to break the fast with Turkish food, available in restaurants and high-end hotels. So, for this week’s recipe, I have something familiar for those who like Turkish flavors: baklava. Baklava is made with filo pastry layered with a mixture of almonds or pistachios, butter, spices and sugar syrup. It is crunchy, aromatic and delicious. And its not too difficult to make, with filo pastry easy to find in Jakarta’s upscale supermarkets.

I find classic baklava too rich. So I have reduced the butter and syrup portions for a less sweet and less oily version. It is important to grind your own cinnamon and cardamom for the best quality. Roast the cinnamon and cardamom for five minutes and then grind them.

To keep the Mediterranean flavor, I use rose water for the syrup. You can make your own rose water by boiling two or three white or yellow roses. Boil the flowers in 200 milliliters of water and then simmer on medium heat until 75 percent of the water has evaporated. Keep 25 percent of the water and it is ready to use.

Selamat berbuka puasa, Happy fast-breaking.

Baklava

It is easy to make but you will need a lot of patience to layer the filo pastry. Baklava will keep for three to four days in an airtight container. You will need a 37-by-26-by-3-centimeter baking tray. Serves 12 to 14 people.

Ingredients:

300 grams of ground almonds; 100 grams of sifted icing sugar; 150 grams of butter; 1 teaspoon of ground green cardamom; 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon; and 18 sheets of filo pastry.

For the syrup: 300 grams of sugar; 200 milliliters of water; 2 tablespoons of rose water; and the juice of 1 lime.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Melt the butter and set aside.

3. Combine the ground almonds, icing sugar and ground cinnamon and cardamom. Mix well and set aside.

4. Carefully remove the filo pastry from the packaging. To prevent drying, cover the unused portion with a damp towel while working with the other sheets. Butter the baking tray and place the first layer of filo pastry. Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the top of the filo with melted butter and repeat six times with six layers of filo pastry.

5. Add half of the almond mixture, spread evenly with a spatula and pat it down.

6. Continue layering six more filo layers and silicone basting brush each with melted butter. Add the remaining almond mixture in an even layer. Top with six more filo sheets. Press down evenly. Decrease the oven temperature to 150 degrees Celsius and bake the baklava for 20 minutes, then increase the heat to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. In the meantime, make the syrup. Simply mix the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until you get a syrupy consistency.

8. Add the rose water and simmer for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lime juice and set aside to cool.

9. When the baklava is ready, remove from the oven and cut into diamond-shaped pieces. Then pour the syrup into the slits and all over the pastry. Serve warm or at room temperature.