QATAYEF

Salam to all,

Qatayef, or Atayef, holds a large place in my heart. It reminds me of Ramadan, childhood memories back home in Gaza, and the oozing cheesy goodness just hits the spot after a long day of working and cooking.


This is a very simple recipe to make with not that many steps, almost anyone can do it!


here we go,
I took this recipe from Dedemed.com, but just added 1 tbsp starch for crispiness. original recipe here
( thanks dede!! )


Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat flour (you can substitute with any whole grain flour as well)
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp starch.


2 cups of cooled/cold syrup (same as the syrup i used for kunafa.


for nut mix:
1 1/2 cup mixed nuts , whole
1/2 -3/4 cup coconut flakes
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar


for the cheese i usually use the knafa cheese that you can purchase at any middle eastern grocery. This time i used mozerrella balls (the fresh ones) and just chop and fill, they were delicious!!!! . or use the ashta recipe that Dedemed has on her website. you can also use dates, raisins, mixed crushed nuts (like almonds, walnuts pistachios), vanilla yougurt, ricotta cheese, mixed dried fruits... anything u want.




Making the Atayef:

start by mixing the warm water, yeast and sugar, stir and let it sit for 10 minutes til it gets foamy. I have the 2 cups of milk ready as well.

Mix the dry ingredients together

See how it got foamy :) that means the yeast is activated

Mix all ingredients together and whisk until smooth. you can use a Kitchenaid or blender but it really doesn't take that much elbow grease. Its exercise!

All mixed, nice and smooth. it looks alot like a pancake batter.

Heat up the griddle to 350 or medium high if you are using a stovetop frying pan. DO NOT GREASE.

from a couple inches high, start pouring your batter making small circles. I use a small ladel to keep me from making them too large. each ladel-ful ( is that a word) makes 2 circles for me.

this helps keep it as round as possible.

I've found that the perfect size is around 3 inches in diameter. they are so cute when smaller!

it will start showing lil bubbles, you're on the right track.

when the top dries and looks like this, then its cooked and ready to remove. Remember, Fight the urge to FLIP!!! Never flip it or else it wont stick when you come to filling it..  put it on a plate

the bottom should be nice and golden like this. If not its still ok, its gonna turn golden in the frying pan when we fry them. If they are a little darker its ok too, as long as they aren't burned, that means your heat is too high.

the griddle is a time saver because you can do a bigger quantity.

BUBBLICIOUS

let them rest on a plate to cool off a bit. if they stay on top of each other (like pancakes) then they get sweaty and sticky.. you dont want that.

Now you are done! onto the filling :)

Mixed nuts:

Get any nut mix you like

get 1.5 cup and place in food processor, pulse til very small but not too small...

... like this. u still want to see chunks of the nuts here and there.

Add sugar, coconut and cinnamon. This mix is now ready.

The cheeese:

i chopped up a mozzarella cheese ball into little pieces, sprinkled a bit of sugar and coconut. Some others like to put orange blossom water, or rose water.. Do what strikes your fancy..

Filling and forming into shape:

to start filling, pinch on side of the atayef as shown. that will keep the filling from falling, and making a mess.

place in a spoonful of cheese filling..

or nut filling..

while still in your hands (i had to put it down to snap a pic), keep pinching the sides...

like this

until you close the whole way until u are done, if it kinda reopens, just pinch it again. be sure to not pinch too hard or it might rip open.

all pretty and ready to go

while you're at it, why dont you double the recipe and make a huge batch.. to freeze for later?

If you are planning to freeze it, this is how they should lay in the bag.

 Now to FRYING..........

heat your oil to high. make sure it is hot before you place them in

TSHHHHHHHHHHHHH, lol. once hot enough, put in the atayefs and keep on one side til nicely browned, then flip and same for the other side.

Strain from oil and place straight into cooled syrup. add as many as can fit, and stir them around so they can absorb the syrup, then scoop them out. Don't let them sit too long, they'll get super sweet and sog faster. you want them crispy...

place in your serving plates.. and serve hot with tea or coffee or drink of choice.. I separated the nut filled from the cheese filled, some people don't like one or the other.. and its nice to know whats in it before you take that first bite lol.

YUMM

Melted  CHEEEEEEEEESE

That's a wrap! hope you enjoyed and i really encourage you to try it! super good, super fun, and super sweet! 


sahteen w 3afya