Qataif, Arabic folded pancake filled with walnuts, syrup
Recipe: One of the most popular Arabian sweet dishes is Qataif (Atayef, Qatayef) which is made with a pancake shell folded over a filling of crushed walnuts, brown sugar and syrup). Who can say “no” to Qataif?
By Ray Hanania
One of the most popular Arabian sweet dishes is Qataif which is made with a pancake shell folded over a filling of crushed walnuts, brown sugar and syrup). Who can say “no” to Qataif?
Qataif has many spellings — Atayef, Qatayef, Kataif — and many recipe ingredients. It’s basically a pancake that is folded over a filling of walnuts and sugar. Many who make this popular Middle Eastern delicacy also use cheese.
You can make Qataif the easy, tasty way or the difficult Arabian way. In the end, they both taste the same.
Basically, you grill smaller sized pancakes, about 6 inches in diameter. But, instead of flipping the pancake to cook both sides, you only cook one.
The dark side remains on the bottom and the light mixture side remains inside. Make enough pancake mix for 35 small pancakes.
There are several filling options.
The most popular is crushed, roasted almonds, or crushed, roasted walnuts. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (for every 2 cups of crushed nuts). You can even add a 1/4 cup of crushed pistachio to add an extra flavor.
Fold the pancake shell over slightly in your hand and squeeze the bottom to start the seal. Then, add the mix in the center, closing the rest of the pancake shell around it until you have a perfect, bulging semi-circle of exciting tastes.
In addition to the nuts, you can use Nabulsi cheese either as an alternative or as an addition to the nuts.
Once you make the folded pancakes, lay them out on a baking pan and brush them with warm butter. Then, place the baking pan in the oven and cook them at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes to give them a light gold crust.
Cover them in syrup and serve. You can sprinkle crushed pistachios or crushed nuts and white powered sugar on the finished dessert to your tastes.
I used to watch my mother make Qataif every Sunday, especially on holidays like Easter. It’s the perfect after meal treat to enjoy with the family.
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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