Qatayif, or as they are pronounced in colloquial Arabic, Atayif, are a confection that make their welcome presence in the Holy month of Ramadan. Though they are not unique to Gaza, any Ramadan recipes collection would be incomplete without them.

In most of the Middle East, the pancake dough for the Atayif can be purchased ready-made in almost any confectionery store (in fact you will be hard pressed to find someone who makes them at home). In Gaza, street vendors pop up all over the place around maghrib time (sunset), selling everything you need to make Atayif: the pancakes (already cooked), the stuffing, and if you are in a rush-they even sell them pre-fried or stuffed. They are quite the experts at mixing and pouring out the batter out of conical containers that create the perfect consistency.

I got this recipe from one such vendor in Khanyounis several years ago, with some adjustments. True Atayif should be made with extra fine semolina flour, but this is almost impossible to find in the US (if one uses what is available, the resulting pancake will break apart once you try to stuff it).

3 1/2 cups flour
3 cups warm water
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp mistka* (mastic gum), crushed in a mortar and pestle (optional)
1/8 tsp ground mahlab* (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup warm water
* These items can be found at any Middle Eastern grocer

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT baking soda and 1/2 cup warm water in a blender until smooth. You should have a medium batter, a littler thinner than pancake batter. Let rise for one hour or until doubled in volume. Stir with spoon to deflate. Mix baking soda and water, and stir into batter at this point. Batter should resemble crepe batter more than it does pancake batter at this point.

Warm griddle (or good quality frying pan with thick base, such as a cast-iron skillet, if you don’t have a griddle) to medium heat.

Pour about 2 T. worth of batter onto the griddle and quickly spread out evenly with base of spoon.

Once little bubbles form and began to pop and the top of the pancake dries out (doesn’t need to dry out 100%) remove and set aside to cool on a kitchen towel.

Try a couple of test ones first. If Atayif seem too thick, add 1-2 T. warm water and mix.

Makes roughly 30 pancakes.

Tips:
* Do not put too much better or the pancake will be too think and you will have a hard time folding it when stuffing time comes
* Spreading out the batter on the griddle helps make sure it will be thin and pliable enough to fold and stuff. But make sure it is not too thin or the pancake won’t close when you fold it.
*Make sure they don’t cook too quickly or they will be too hard from the bottom and uncooked from the top.
*Do NOT use cooking spray on the frying pan (if it is non-stick) or the atayif will be really hard to close

The ideal Atayif should be pale, pliable, and about half a cm in thickness. It should NOT be heavily browned or thick.

Stuff immediately. Traditional stuffings in Palestine are either sweetened Nabusli goat cheese or crushed walnuts. My grandfather, rest his soul, used to prefer a cooked custard stuffing (muhallabia). You can experiment with different kinds of sweet cheeses and stuffings of your own.

Cheese stuffing

Crumble together with a fork or your hand:
1 cup sweet white cheese, such as Nabusli (if salted, de-salt by soakign in warm water), or a mixture of shredded mozzarella and ricotta cheeses;
2 T. sugar
1 T. rosewater or orange blossom water (maward or mazahir)

Nut stuffing

Mix together in food processor until medium-coarse:
2 cups walnuts
3 T. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 T. rosewater or orange blossom water

Mix in by hand:
3 T. raisins, or as desired

To stuff:
Fold together either end of the pancake and pinch closed with thumb and forefinger. Continue to close about 1/3 of the pancake together. Spoon in about 1 tsp of the stuffing, depending on the size of the pancake, then close completely and firmly, making sure it is properly sealed. Do NOT over stuff, particularly if using cheese stuffing.

To cook:
*Qatayif are traditionally deep-fired, but I prefer to bake them. Feel free to fry a few if you have the stomach for it!

Melt 2 Tablespoons butter. Add 1 T. canola oil. Brush each Atayif with the butter-oil mixture and place in a non-stick pan (or baking sheet coated with cooking spray). Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until well browned. Broil last 5 minutes if not browned from top.

Serve with honey or the traditional way, by plopping each Atayif into a bowl of cold syrup (recipe follows) immediately when they come out of the oven to ensure proper absorption.

Syrup (Qatir)

Bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes in saucepan:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. lemon juice

Take off heat and add:

1 tsp rosewater or orange blossom water (I like to add both).

Allow to cool completely, or even refrigerate.

Street vendors making Atayif in Palestine