Qatayef (Sweet Stuffed Pancakes)
Qatayef is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert of sweet, nut-filled pancakes that are pan fried and glazed to syrupy perfection.
Servings: 24
Ingredients
Syrup
- 2 cups sugar (400g )
- 1 cup water (250ml)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Batter
- 1¾ cups AP flour (240g)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp powdered milk
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups warm water (425ml)
Filling
- 2 cups walnuts
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- 1 tsp rose water
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Syrup
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add syrup ingredients, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn heat off and let it cool to room temperature. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Batter
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
- Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes until bubbly and rises slightly.
- Stir the batter and check consistency. Batter should be thinner than pancake and not lumpy. Add a tablespoon of water if needed.
Cook the pancakes
- Heat a griddle or skillet until hot. Use a paper towel and a drop of oil to grease the pan. Add a scoop, about 2 tablespoons of the batter making a 3 inch circle.
- Gently cook pancake on one side, DO NOT FLIP onto the other side. Cook until lots of bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and surface is no longer wet. Adjust the heat and continue with remaining batter.
- Arrange qatayef bubble side up on a baking sheet (do not overlap them) and cover with a towel. Set aside until you are finished with the rest of the batter.
Filling
- Process the walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, and rose water in a food processor until finely chopped. Reserve 3/4 cup for dipping garnish.
- Hold each qatayef bubble side up and add a teaspoon of the filling in the center. Fold the qatayef in half and pinch the sides to close firmly. (See Note 1).
Frying
- Pour 2 inches of oil in a frying pan and heat over medium-high until 350°F.
- Fry about 2 minutes each side, or until they become golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the Qatayef from the pan and drain for 1 minute on paper towels.
- While still hot, toss the qatayef into the cooled sugar syrup, turning to make sure they're well coated. Transfer to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil, allowing excess syrup to drip off.
- Dip the end of each soaked Qatayef into the reserved 3/4 cup walnut filling, pressing to adhere if needed and sprinkle crushed, dried rose petals over and serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- At this point you could freeze for up to a month. To freeze, lay the Qatayef in a single layer over a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a few hours until they harden. Transfer to a zipper lock bag then store in the freezer, until ready to fry. Fry directly from frozen (no need to thaw).
- Recipe adapted from Tasbih over at Cleobuttera. Check out here amazing recipes!
Nutrition
Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg