Qatayef — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Spongy, yeasted pancakes folded around sweet cheese or walnut filling, sealed, then fried until golden and drenched in rose-scented sugar syrup. These crescent-shaped sweets are the quintessential Ramadan dessert.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1.5 cups warm water
For cheese filling: 1 cup sweet akkawi or ricotta, 1 tbsp sugar
For nut filling: 1 cup walnuts chopped, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon
Vegetable oil for frying
For syrup: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp rose water

Instructions

1 Mix flour, yeast, baking powder, and sugar. Whisk in warm water until smooth. Rest batter for 30 minutes until bubbly.
2 Make syrup by boiling sugar and water with lemon juice for 8 minutes. Add rose water, stir, and cool completely.
3 Heat a non-stick pan on medium. Pour small ladles of batter to form 8cm circles. Cook one side only until surface is set and bubbly.
4 Place a spoonful of cheese or nut filling on each pancake. Fold in half and pinch edges firmly to seal into crescent shapes.
5 Fry sealed qatayef in 175C oil for 2-3 minutes until deep golden brown on both sides. Drain on a wire rack.
6 Immediately dip hot qatayef into cold syrup for 10 seconds, or drizzle syrup generously over them. Serve warm.

Did You Know?

During Ramadan, qatayef vendors set up temporary stalls across Palestine, and the sound of batter hitting hot pans signals that iftar is approaching.