Qatayef (Atayef)

I love Middle Eastern desserts, especially Qatayef (Atayef), which I always make during Ramadan!

Basically, it is a pancake stuffed with a mixture of nuts, fried until super crispy and golden brown, then soaked in a thick sugar syrup. I like to garnish them with some crushed pistachios.

Qatayef (Atayef) Recipe

This dessert is super delicious, I like to fry them for a little longer to make them extra chrunchy! Yum.

This dessert just has the perfect crunch, is not overly sweaty, and is so easy to put together. I actually modified this recipe a lot in the past until I reached this recipe, which all my family loves.

Making the pancakes is so easy, exactly like making your breakfast pancakes, except this is a yeasted pancake, so we use yeast and allow the batter to rise.

The consistency of the pancake should be not too thick nor too thin; it is thinner than the regular pancake batter, though.

The fillings vary widely from sweet to savoury. In this recipe, I used nuts and raisins. However, you may use cheese, Nutella or spinach! I also stuffed them before with ground beef.

Finally, I dunk the Qatayef in the thick syrup for just 1-2 minutes and then take them out of the syrup. I love to serve it drizzled with extra dripping sugar syrup.

You'll Need

Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Flour. I used all-purpose flour you may also use gluten free flour.

Dry powdered milk. I like to add just 1 tablespoon of dry powdered milk, It gives the pancakes a hint of sweetness and also adds a certain creaminess to their texture.

Baking powder. It will help in lightening the texture and in increasing the volume of the pancakes.

Dry yeast. Yeast will give the Qatayef its distinctive taste and bubbly texture.

Oil. I used sunflower oil for deep frying the Qatayefs.

For the filling: I used almond, pistachio, walnut and raisins.

Thick simple syrup. This simple syrup is made of sugar and water.

Let's jump into our recipe without further ado and learn how to make the classic nut-filled Qatayefs.

How To Make Qatayef/Atayef?

Make the syrup: Over medium heat, add all the syrup ingredients to a saucepan. Stir and bring them to a boil. After that, reduce the heat, and allow it to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.

Make the batter: In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, baking powder, powdered milk and add water until combined.

Cover it and let it sit for 30-40 minutes.

After that, stir the batter; it should be thinner than a pancake and free of lumps. If the batter is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of water.

Cook the pancakes: Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and scoop about 2 tablespoons of the batter per pancake.

Note: I cook on medium heat because if you cook on high, they will burn, and on low, it will take too long.

Once the batter bubbles at the surface and the surface is no longer wet, it is done. DO NOT FLIP; Just remove from heat. Repeat until you finish all the batter.

Tip: Do not stack up the cooked pancakes because that will cause them to stick.

Fill the pancakes: Hold one pancake bubble side up, and fill with a teaspoon of the nut mixture (do not overfill; otherwise, it will crack).

Now, fold the pancake in half and pinch the sides to firmly close. Repeat.

Frying the pancakes: Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep frying pan.

Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.

Tip: The longer you fry the pancakes, the crispier they will get.

Now, take them out of the oil and place them in the cooled syrup while they are still hot. Toss to cover with syrup for 1-2 miutes.

Then put the Qatayef on a colander to drip, arrange it on a serving plate and sprinkle some pistachio on top.

Top Tips!

• Once the pancakes are cooked, place them bubbly side up on a plate under a clean towel.
• Make sure that you cover the pancakes after cooking. Otherwise, they will dry out before you can fill and shape them. In case they do dry out, run a damp finger along the edges to seal them.
• Make sure that the pan is hot before you pour in the pancake batter.

Some Variations

• Sprinkle the Qatayefs with coconut flakes instead of pistachio.
• You can fill the Qatayef with akawi cheese, traditional ashta.
• Qatayefs can also be eaten without frying.
• You may try baking the Qatayef instead of deep-frying it. Brush the sealed pancakes with oil or butter, place them on a baking sheet and shove them in a pre-heated oven until they are golden and crisp.

FAQs

More Middle Eastern Recipes

• Egyptian Basbousa Recipe (Semolina Cake)
• Mini Kunafa With Ricotta Cheese
• Om Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding Recipe
• Zalabya - Loukoumades Recipe
• Kunafa With Mango And Cream (No-Bake)
• Kunafa with Cream (Ashta) - Easy Arabic Dessert
• Mahalabia (Milk Pudding)
• Easy Kunafa Recipe

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Recipe Card