In the early days of The Armenian Kitchen, I received an email from a gentleman in MA asking if I had a recipe for Koolunja, a Kharpertsi variation of choreg. He went on to say that unlike the braided, softer choreg, koolunja has a drier texture that is cut into squares, triangles, or diamond-shapes. I searched but came up empty-handed.
Since I couldn’t oblige, I posted a request to readers of Kharpertsi descent asking for their help. I received only one response and passed along the recipe. He appreciated my help, but it wasn’t exactly what he was looking for.
Present day:
Just a week or so ago, I received another inquiry about Koolunja – this time from a woman in Fresno, CA. As I searched through my Armenian cookbooks and other resources, I found 3 variations of this ‘Old-Fashioned Choreg. I promptly sent along one of recipes, much to her delight.
The recipe I’ve prepared for this post, is my adaptation of a ‘Koolenja’ recipe found in the cookbook, ‘Armenian Cuisine-Preserving Our Heritage’ from St. John Armenian Church in Michigan.
(Note: As stated in the past, many recipes have different spellings and/or ingredient variations based on geographic locations.)
I made minor adjustments to the cookbook’s recipe by incorporating some freshly ground spices that I love in choreg – mahlab, fennel seed, and anise seed.
If you prefer the taste of old-fashioned choreg, feel free to omit those spices.
I hope you’ll try – and – like this version!
Koolenja (or Koolunja – or- Kooroonja!)
Ingredients
- ½ lb. unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. sugar Note: If you prefer a sweeter product, you can increase the sugar to ½ cup, but then you might not want to add the optional seasonings listed below.
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- ½ cup warm water Plus ½ tsp. sugar
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
Optional seasonings:
- 1 Tbsp. freshly ground mahlab
- 1 tsp. ground fennel seed
- ½ tsp. ground anise seed
Egg wash
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 Tbsp. water
Garnish
- sesame seeds and/or Nigella seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl thoroughly combine melted butter, milk, beaten eggs, salt, sugar, and optional seasonings, if using.
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- In a liquid measuring cup, combine yeast with 1/2 cup warm waterand ½ tsp. sugar; cover and allow to proof.
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- Add the proofed yeast mixture and some of the flour to the ingredients in the large bowl. Add enough flour to create a workable dough. Knead dough until smooth.
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- Place dough in a clean, lightly oiledbowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size, approximately 1hour.
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- Remove dough and place on a clean work surface. Pat down dough with your hands to create a rectangular shape that’s about ¾” thick.
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- Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut dough into squares, triangles, or diamond shapes of a uniform size for even baking.
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- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake one tray at a time on the center rack for about 15 – 25 minutes (depending on thesize of the pieces) or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
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The post Koolunja, Koolenja, or Kooroonja: No Matter Which Name You Use, it’s Still an Easy, ‘Old-Fashioned’ Choreg Recipe! appeared first on The Armenian Kitchen.