- Yield: 24-30 medium size
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Qatayef/Atayef bil Joz --- Walnut Stuffed Pancakes
These fragrant walnut stuffed deep-fried Atayef are the perfect ending to a long day of fasting. Atayef are a Middle Eastern dessert that is traditionally served during the month of Ramadan. While they resemble pancakes, they are made with a yeast batter and cooked only on one side, to help stick the edges together and give them the typical crescent moon shape. Aatayef can be fully or half closed, filled with sweet cheese like ricotta (Ashta) or a variety of nuts, and sometimes even Nutella, then deep fried or baked, and dipped in sugar syrup. The recipe here is for a filling with walnuts
Makes 24-30 medium size Aatayef
Ingredients
- Walnut Stuffing:
- 2 cups of walnuts (coarsely chopped)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp of orange blossom water
- 1 tsp of rose water
- Qatayef Batter
- 2 cups of white flour
- ½ cup of # 1 semolina
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of dry yeast
- 3 tbsp of white sugar
- ¼ tsp of salt
- 2 ½ -3 cups of warm water (batter needs to be consistency pancake batter)
- Sugar Syrup •
- 5 cups of white sugar
- 2 ¼ cups of water
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
To Make Syrup (Ater)
- Dissolve sugar in water in heavy pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to boil, add lemon juice and boil over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes. Once syrup has begun to boil, do not stir again, as this makes the syrup cloudy.
- Add orange blossom water (or rose water), boil for 1 minute longer. Turn heat off and let cool to room temperature. When cooled, the consistency should be like thin honey. Any left-over syrup can stored in a glass container in the refrigerator for several weeks.
step 2: Walnut filling: To prepare the walnut filling, add walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, orange blossom water, rose water and nutmeg to food processor and pulse until they are small pieces but, not too fine. You may finely chop them using a knife if you prefer and mix with other ingredients by hand. Set aside in a small bowl.
Step 3: To make Batter: Place all the batter ingredients in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix until batter is pancake batter consistency. Cover and let is rest for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat or a pancake griddle. Using the 1/4 cup measurement pour batter in the pan to form (3.5" - 4") round cakes. Within seconds their surface will be filled with bubbles that will pop up as it dries out. As soon as the top is dry, remove the cakes onto a kitchen towel and cover them with another kitchen to stay soft and warm. Repeat until all batter is done
Step 5: Hold one cake in your palm and put about one tablespoon of the filling in the middle. With your other hand, start from one end and pinch the edges together to form half moons. Make sure they are properly sealed, or they will open while frying. Place on a large platter and repeat until all Qatayef are done.
Step 6: to starting frying, heat enough oil in a pan to cover the cakes by 1 – 1.5 cm. Deep-fry them for about 30 seconds on each side until crispy and golden brown. Careful, they burn fast, so keep turning them and make sure oil is not to hot. Remove on paper towel.
Step 7: Then immediately drop in room temperature syrup for 15-30 seconds. (Qatayef must be still hot while dipping in the cooled syrup). drain excess syrup and serve topped with ground pistachios.
