Qatayef with Walnuts and Ashta

Qatayef with Walnuts and Ashta

This is a Syrian qatayef recipe made with a yeasted batter prepared from flour, semolina, warm water, cornstarch, sugar, yeast, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. The qatayef are cooked in a pan until the tops dry, then filled with either a walnut filling or ashta, sealed well, fried in plenty of oil until golden, soaked in sugar syrup, and garnished with Aleppo pistachios.

Stuffed Ramadan pancakes filled with walnuts and ashta cream.

Like a stuffed dessert pancake.

Seal the edges well before cooking or folding the pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (260 g) Flour
  • 4 cups (800 ml) Warm water
  • 1 cup (160 g) Fine wheat semolina
  • 2 tablespoons (35 g) Cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons (60 g) Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla
  • A pinch Salt
  • 250 g Walnuts
  • 300 g Ashta
  • 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons Desiccated coconut
  • For garnish Aleppo pistachios
  • A little Sugar syrup

Instructions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl—flour, semolina, cornstarch, and salt—excluding the yeast and sugar.
  2. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in warm water in a bowl.
  3. Gradually add the water mixture to the dry ingredients, whisking in a blender or food processor until the batter is smooth.
  4. Whisk the qatayef batter for about 7 to 10 minutes, until it becomes elastic.
  5. Leave the batter in a covered bowl for half an hour to rest.
  6. Lightly chop the walnuts in a bowl.
  7. Mix the chopped walnuts with the sugar, cinnamon, desiccated coconut, and sugar syrup in a bowl to prepare the filling.
  8. Heat the pan over medium heat.
  9. Pour the qatayef batter into the pan in circles, and leave until the surface dries and bubbles appear.
  10. Remove the qatayef from the pan and place them on a cloth or suitable surface until cooled.
  11. Fill the qatayef individually with walnuts or ashta.
  12. Seal the qatayef well and press the edges before frying so they do not open.
  13. Fry the qatayef in a pot or pan with plenty of hot oil over medium heat until golden.
  14. Remove the fried qatayef from the pan and place on kitchen paper to drain the oil.
  15. Add the sugar syrup to the fried qatayef on the serving plate.
  16. Garnish the qatayef with Aleppo pistachios.

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