Raw and Fried Qatayef Recipe

Ingredients

• Batter:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• a pinch or 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• a pinch of vanilla
• Qashta (cream):
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 600 ml milk
• 400 ml liquid cream
• a dash of rose water and orange blossom water
• Walnut filling:
• crushed walnuts
• a pinch of cinnamon
• a handful of sugar
• Syrup (qatir or shira):
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• a dash of rose water and orange blossom water
• a squeeze of lemon

Method

1. Whisk all the batter ingredients together with a hand whisk.
2. Set aside for about 45 minutes to ferment.
   Timers: 45 min
3. Once the batter has fermented, take a little of it (depending on the size of the pancake you want) and spread it into a round disc in a nonstick skillet until bubbles appear and it cooks in seconds, then remove it from the pan.
4. Repeat the process until you have all the qatayef discs.
5. Cover the qatayef to keep them soft before using them: fill them with ashta and serve cold with syrup, or fill them with walnut filling and fry them.
6. To prepare the ashta
7. Mix the cornstarch with 1 cup of the milk and set aside.
8. Put the remaining milk, the cream, and the vanilla in a pot and heat them.
9. Before it reaches a boil, add the milk and cornstarch mixture that was set aside.
10. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
11. Finally, add the rose water and orange blossom water, turn off the heat, and mix well.
12. Let the ashta cool completely before using.
13. Fried qatayef
14. To make fried qatayef, mix the walnut filling, stuff the qatayef, and seal them into half-moons (or as desired), then fry them in plenty of oil.
15. Transfer them from the oil to the cold syrup and leave them for 2 minutes.
    Timers: 2 min
16. Remove them from the syrup, drain briefly, and serve.
17. Syrup method
18. Boil the sugar and water for 7 minutes.
    Timers: 7 min
19. Finally, add the rose water, orange blossom water, and lemon juice, and let the syrup boil for 3 more minutes, then turn off the heat.
20. Let the syrup cool.