Qatayef or Atayef is sort of stuffed pancakes that is commonly served during the holy month of Ramadan. Everyone loves Atayef, adults and kids, men and women, I have never seen anyone who does not love Atayef. Whenever I serve this dish to friends, I find myself surrounded with smiley faces as it reminds us all of the good days of Ramadan.
Atayef is usually made sweet, stuffed with nuts or cream and drizzled with simple syrup. I’ve made salty Atayef too which was so so delicious I’ve stuffed it with mined meat, chicken and even cheese.
If you googled the recipe you will find many recipes for Katayef some use whole wheat and others use semolina. The secret behind it is to adjust the batter so it will not be too runny or too thick. I’ve got a recipe that is really fool proof for a successful batter with only needs 3 ingredients commonly found in every kitchen.
You will need :
- 2 cups of all purpose flour.
- 1 3/4 cups of warm water.
- 1 tsp dry yeast.
- 1 Tablespoon sugar.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
- 1 Tablespoon dry powdered milk.
- A pinch of salt.
- Oil for deep frying.
- Mixed nuts of your choice for the filling.
- Thick simple syrup- 2cups sugar to 1.5 cup of water and a dash of vanilla with a tsp of lemon juice.
Add the first 7 ingredients to your blender and blend well until you get a batter that is a little like pancake batter but not lumpy and a little runny.
Let it rise for about an hour.
Lightly grease a non stick pan – or use your griddle- on a medium heat then pour almost 2 Tablespoons of the batter or smaller according to the size you are comfortable with. The Atayef should start to bubble on the surface, wait for a couple of minutes until the surface has no wet spots anymore which means it is done. Do not flip the Atayef just remove from heat and let it cool- covered with a clean kitchen towel- on a rack.
When it is cooled enough to handle start stuffing the Atayef by placing 1-2 teaspoons of your filling and fold it so it forms a half circle pressing on the edge to seal. Deep fry them until golden brown, drizzle with syrup.
Serve and enjoy.
If you add half a cup of fine semolina to your mixture, it yields crunchier atayef that wont get soggy in the syrup.
Zena, thank you so much for your suggestions. I did actually make another version with semolina in the katayef asafiri recipe but it was a higher ratio. I’ve heard that adding water instead of milk is better regarding crunchiness too. Thank you so much dear.
Thanks Amira for the recipe. Can we store the Atyef in freezer before frying them for couple months??
Yes sure, actually I am stocking up on those for the month of Ramadan both sweet and savory.
I can see myself loving these…a lot!! They sound amazing!
I wish I had seen your post a day earlier and I would have definitely made them for Holi.
This is nice for any and everyday 🙂 so why not try them today or wait until the Easter if you want a big celebration.
My all time favourite Ramadan dessert and one of the most searched recipes on my site! It is incredibly popular and because of that I came up with variations last year! I have to have these every Ramadan, without fail. I adore them. Now, having seen yours, I am craving them 🙂
They are gorgeous and I know they taste awesome!
Yessss I love it year round too 🙂 I might make them tomorrow in a gathering.
Oh do these look delicious, Amira! I would love to indulge in a few…I know I would love them!
This is a new dish for me! Looks lovely. The inclusion of the yeast is so interesting — I’ll bet it adds some nice flavor. Fun dish — thanks.
Hi John…. I though you already knew about this dish!!! It is very common in the Middle east. Very satisfying and easy to make. Thanks for your comment
I have never heard of atayef before, but I know I’d be an instant fan! They sound amazing!!!
Liz, this really is simple and tasty I hope you will give it a try.
Salaam Sister Amira!
These look wonderful!
Hi Henna,How are you dear? aren’t these nice? They have the spirit of Ramadan:) Thanks for the comment.
These look amazing, Amira! I would devour them all by myself. They remind sweet empanadas.
Thank you Denise… I bet there are alot in common between Middle east cuisine and the Brazilian one.
G’day! These look amazing and thank you for allowing me to learn something new!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks Joanne I hope you try these.