Qatayef Recipe

5 from 10 votes

Qatayef is a Middle Eastern dessert served during the month of Ramadan. It's made of pancakes stuffed with nuts or cream, fried and then soaked in syrup.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Lebanese, middle eastern

Servings: Qatayef

Calories: 134kcal

Author: Shadi HasanzadeNemati

Ingredients

Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp instant yeast
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp powdered milk or powder coffee creamer
1 ¾ cup lukewarm water
Neutral flavored il for frying

Simple Syrup

2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp rosewater
1 cup water

Filling

1 cup walnuts chopped
½ tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp desiccated coconut

Instructions

Make the pancakes

In a large bowl mix the flour with the sugar, yeast, baking powder and powdered milk. Gradually add in the water and whisk until the batter is smooth and no lumps are left.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes until the batter has bubbles on top. After 30 minutes, uncover and whisk the batter again.
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, measure 2 tablespoons of the batter (you can use a cookie or ice cream scoop) and pour it into the pan. Cook only on one side until the top is dry and full of bubbles and the bottom is golden. Transfer the pancakes to a platter and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them soft. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.

Make the simple syrup

While the batter is resting, place the granulated sugar and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, the consistency will be like pancake syrup.
Add in the rosewater, turn the heat off and let the syrup cool down to room temperature.

Make the filling

While the batter is resting and the syrup is cooling, make the filling. In a bowl mix the chopped walnuts with sugar, cinnamon and desiccated coconut.

Fill, fold and fry

Once all the pancakes are cooked, grab one and add about 1 tablespoon of the filling in it. Seal the edges by pinching them from one end to the other to fold the pancakes. Set aside and cover with a kitchen towel. Continue with the remaining pancakes and filling.
Once you've filled and sealed all the pancakes, pour enough oil in a saucepan to fill in halfway. Heat the oil until it reaches 350 degrees F. Fry 2 to 4 qatayef at a time until they're golden on the outside. It takes about 3 minutes to fry each.
Using a slotted spoon, take the qatayef out of the saucepan and place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. After a minute or so, transfer the warm qatayef to to syrup and move them around to make sure they're fully coated with the syrup.
Arrange on a platter and top with chopped walnuts, ground pistachios or edible rose petals if desired.

Video

Notes

Alternatively, you can drizzle the syrup on the fried qatayef.
For baked qatayef, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place the filled and folded qatayef on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Coat them with cooking spray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping them once halfway until they are crispy and golden. Then transfer them to the syrup and make sure they're coated well.
Store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes before serving.
To freeze qatayef, fill and seal the pancakes but don't fry them. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can fry them from frozen, try one and check to see if it's cooked properly and has the right texture then adjust the heat accordingly. Once they're fried, soak them in the syrup.

Nutrition