Lebanese · Appetizers

Cheese Rakakat

Cigarettes of filo around salty white cheese, fried until they blister. The cheese has to be one that softens without running, or they burst.

45 min prep and cooking plus up to 30 min soaking, if your ingredients need it (see the method) 45 min to 1 hr 15 min start to finish Serves 6 servings Easy
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AI-generated illustration of Cheese Rakakat

Image note: Illustration, generated by AI · not a photograph of this dish

Making Cheese Rakakat Ahead

Best straight from the pan. Refrigerated for 2 days; re-crisp at 200°C / 392°F for 6 minutes. They freeze raw.

How to Make Cheese Rakakat

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  1. If using akkawi, cut it into slabs and soak in cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water three times. Taste a corner — it should be pleasantly salty, not harsh.

  2. Grate or crumble the cheese, squeeze out any water, and mix with the mint and pepper.

  3. Cut each filo sheet into two long rectangles. Keep the stack under a damp cloth as you work.

  4. Lay a rectangle with a short edge towards you, put a finger of cheese across the base, fold both long sides in over the ends of the filling, and roll up tightly.

  5. Seal the final flap with the beaten egg or the flour paste and press it down. Repeat.

  6. Heat the oil to 180°C / 355°F. Fry six at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until blistered and pale gold. They colour fast.

  7. Drain on a rack and eat hot, while the cheese still pulls.

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A Few Pointers

  • Soak akkawi in several changes of water or it is too salty to eat.
  • Fold the ends in before rolling. Open ends leak.
  • They colour quickly — pale gold is done.

Behind the Recipe

The choice of cheese is the whole recipe. Akkawi or a well-soaked halloumi holds its shape at frying temperature and goes soft rather than liquid; mozzarella or cheddar turn to a running liquid that finds the nearest seam and empties into the oil. Akkawi is also sold heavily salted and needs soaking in several changes of water first, or the finished roll is inedible. Fold the ends in before rolling, like a spring roll, so there is nowhere for the cheese to go.

Serving Ideas

Lemon wedges · A tomato salad · Sweet mint tea

Quick Answers

How long does Cheese Rakakat take to make?

30 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking, so 45 minutes in all, plus up to 30 minutes of soaking if your ingredients need it (the method says when). The recipe serves 6.

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .