Qatayef (Atayef) Recipe - Middle Eastern Pancakes

5 from 4 votes

Qatayef (or Katayef or Atayef) is one such Middle Eastern dessert recipe that is an iconic inclusion on the traditional tables of Ramadan.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword Atayef, Middle Eastern Pancakes, Qatayef

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Calories 140kcal

Author Radwa

Over medium heat, add all the syrup ingredients to a saucepan, stir and bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmers for 5-10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.

In a bowl, mix together flour, yeast, salt, sugar, baking powder, powdered milk add water until combined.
Cover and let it sit for about 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, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the batter per pancake.
Once The batter bubble at the surface and the surface is no longer wet, It is done. Do not flip; remove from heat. Repeat until you finish all the batter.

Hold one pancake bubble side up, 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.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep frying pan.
Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
Now, take them out of the oil and place in the cooled syrup while they are still hot. Toss to cover with syrup.
Put the Qatayef on a colander to drip, arrange on a serving plate and sprinkle some pistachio on top.

The longer you fry the pancakes, the crispier they will get.
Let the batter rest for 13-15 minutes before cooking. This gives the baking powder enough time to activate.
Once the pancakes are cooked, place them bubbly side up on a plate under a clean towel.
Do not stack up the cooked pancakes because that will cause them to stick.
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.

Sprinkle the Qatayefs with coconut flakes instead of pistachio to try out another traditional way of consuming this recipe.
You can fill the Qatayef with akawi cheese instead of the filling used in this recipe for a savoury taste.
You can fill the Qatayefs with the traditional ashta, which is a cheesy sweet cream.
Qatayefs can also be eaten without frying.
Top the Qatayef with unsalted mozzarella cheese, deep-fry them, and then dip it in hot sugar syrup.
Garnish the pancakes with cold cream before sprinkling pistachio on top.
Modern experimentation includes Qatayefs filled with Nutella.
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.