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| Sweet stuffed pancakes قطايف Kataif / Qatayef |
It was with
this distant, vague memory that I approached my mother one day many years ago
and tried to describe Kataif to her, expecting her to know what i was talking about when I described it as simply "a sweet she made once" (in my vague memory
with no details or specifics). I certainly tested both of our memories that day! Finally, by a process of elimination, we figured out that I was talking about kataif as my
mum declared she did make it a long time ago but she couldn't remember the
quantities for the ingredients.
This was the
first time I really saw my mum experimenting in the kitchen. She was always such a sure cook, never needing to measure ingredients and
cooking by using her senses almost all of the time.
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| Sweet stuffed pancakes قطايف Kataif / Qatayef |
I watched
as my mum went about mixing water, yeast and sugar and when she was satisfied
the yeast was viable she added flour and more water to form a batter. Then a bit more flour and a bit more water
until she said she couldn't remember the texture of the batter. Anyway she kept what she had made and moved
on to the next step. She got a frying
pan added some oil and poured some of the paint like batter into the hot
oil. She repeated and repeated the process
finding that each would stick to the pan no matter how long they cooked
for. She got out a hot plate and tried
cooking on that with and without oil to find that they would stick there too.
Finally another frying pan, a non-stick, oil-less hot pan produced pancakes that
didn't stick. She turned them over and
when they were lightly cooked she removed them and put them on a plate. She then tried to fill them with the crushed
almonds, sugar and sultanas. Pressing
the edges tightly together and finding they would not stick or if they did they
would open again while waiting to be fried. Some even made it as far as being fried only
to act like a warm toe dipped into freezing cold water! We cooked the remainder of the batter in the non-stick
pan, without oil and only on one side.
Yes!!! We were able to finally
seal in the luscious filling and fry the Kataif without them opening. After 3 long hours of trial and error we both
enjoyed our kataif, and what a sweet reward it was.
I have made
them at home on occasion for my family, mainly when I was testing the recipe
and then again for photos for my cookbook.
So it was with great pleasure that I undertook to make a video of how to
make them.
How then did it take me over 6 hours to get the footage to make Kataif? Well we attempted time laps for the first time. Growing yeast. Varying the quantity of yeast and container to demonstrate the effect well. So 4 attempts later, in a cup and not a glass, nor a plate, we had a good result. Then there was the batter, the first fry, the stuffing, the second fry, the soaking, the draining and then finally…the eating.
I hope that you will give these a try and let me know if you like them as much as I do. Even though I don’t make them much, I am sure glad that I finally have a record of these for the next time it crosses my mind to make them!
Sweet stuffed pancakes قطايف Kataif / Qatayef
Corn oil to deep fry
Syrup:
2 cups/ 500g sugar
2 cups / 500ml water
½ lemon juiced
pinch of vanilla powder
Dough:
7 gram yeast sachet
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 3/4 cups warm water
Stuffing:
1 ½ cups crushed raw walnuts, almonds, pistachio kernels or
mixed nuts.
1 tablespoon sugar
40g sultanas, optional
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| Sweet stuffed pancakes قطايف Kataif / Qatayef - Ingredients |
Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan,
bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.
It should be a thin consistency.
Leave to cool. Once cooled, add a
few drops of vanilla essence and stir.
To make the dough:
Place the yeast, sugar and ¼ cup warm water in a cup, stir,
then leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until bubbles form. If there are no bubbles the yeast is dead and
you must start again.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the centre
and add the yeast mixture. Add the
remaining warm water and using your fingers mix together to form a smooth
consistency. Cover with a tea towel and
leave to rise in a warm place such as an oven, for 1 to 2 hours until the dough
doubles in size.
To make the Kataif:
Combine the crushed walnuts, sugar and sultanas together in
a small bowl. Set aside. Heat a
non-stick frying pan on medium heat.
Mix the dough with a spoon and take about half a tablespoon of the dough
and spread in the pan thinly and evenly to a 10 cm diameter (just thicker than
a crepe). Do not use any butter or
oil. Remove from heat when the dough has
changed from white to yellow. Do not
cook the other side. Place on a clean dish and repeat with remaining mixture.
Place a teaspoon of the stuffing mixture in the centre of
each pancake on the uncooked side. Fold
over, pressing the edges firmly together forming a half moon. Repeat with each fritter, until all are
sealed before you start frying.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer over high heat. Test by placing any dough scraps in the oil -
it should bubble entirely over the dough immediately. Carefully place 2 or 3 Kataif into the oil at
a time, and fry until golden brown in colour turning as required. Remove from the oil and place directly into
the cooled syrup, turning to coat.
Remove from the syrup and leave to drain in a colander or sieve. Repeat.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
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| Sweet stuffed pancakes قطايف Kataif / Qatayef |
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| Sweet stuffed pancakes قطايف Kataif / Qatayef |
