Fried Qatayef with Ashta (Clotted Cream) and Walnuts

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fine semolina
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• a pinch of salt
• 3 3/4 cups water
• only 4 drops of lemon juice
• Ashta (clotted cream) filling:
• 2 1/2 cups liquid milk
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Walnut filling:
• 2 cups chopped walnuts (or according to the amount of batter)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• 3 tablespoons shredded coconut (optional)
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• Syrup:
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water and rose water
• Note:
• You can freeze the qatayef raw after filling them; place them in airtight freezer bags to fry later
• Fried qatayef with ashta and walnuts recipe from a friend and cook on Sho Tabkhin Today:
• Rasmia Majdoub
• Click Rasmia’s name to visit her page on our site and discover her wonderful recipes
• For more desserts see: Chocolate and green mint cookies
• For more successful desserts from Rasmia see: Baklava Fingers
• To make chocolate balls from Rasmia see: Delicious chocolate balls
• For more Arabic sweets from Rasmia see: Aish el Saraya

Method

1. Start by making the sugar syrup: place all the syrup ingredients on the heat except the orange blossom and rose water, and let it boil for about 15 minutes until it becomes somewhat thick.
   Timers: 15 min
2. Add the orange blossom and rose water, turn off the heat, and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
3. Prepare the qatayef batter: mix the dry ingredients, then gradually add lukewarm water and whisk well until you have a smooth, thin batter.
4. Let the batter rest for about 30 minutes. Just before cooking, add the drops of lemon juice and stir the batter.
   Timers: 30 min
5. Make the ashta filling: combine the milk, sugar, cornstarch, and orange blossom water while cold; mix well until the cornstarch dissolves, then place over heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens.
6. Remove from the heat, add the cup of grated mozzarella, stir until the cheese melts, and set the mixture aside to cool.
7. Prepare the walnut filling: mix all the ingredients well and set the filling aside until you're ready to fill.
8. Cook the batter by pouring a small amount with a jug or ladle onto a preheated non-stick pan. Cook each qatayef until the surface dries.
9. Place the cooked qatayef on a wide tray and cover with a clean cloth to keep them soft. Continue cooking until all the batter is used.
10. When the qatayef have cooled, fill each piece with the desired filling and seal the edges by pressing firmly with your fingers.
11. Fry the filled qatayef in plenty of hot oil until lightly golden.
12. Remove the fried qatayef from the oil, dip them in the cooled syrup, lift them out, drain off excess syrup, and serve.