Katayef (Mini Pancakes)
Abuja, Nigeria ·
Overview
Katayef, qatayef, atayef, are small yeasted pancakes cooked on one side only, then folded around a filling, sealed, fried or baked, and soaked in syrup. They are Ramadan food across Egypt and the Levant. The one-sided cooking is the whole technique and it is what makes katayef katayef. The batter is poured onto a hot dry pan and left until the top surface is covered in open bubbles and has set dry to the touch, without ever being flipped. That bubbled, sticky upper surface is what allows the folded pancake to seal shut around its filling without needing anything to hold it. Fillings split two ways: sweet cheese, or crushed nuts with cinnamon. Both are traditional and households tend to make each. Once folded they are either deep-fried to a deep gold or baked, then drizzled with warm sugar syrup scented with orange blossom or rose water. Through Ramadan they are sold in enormous quantities from bakeries, often as bare unfilled pancakes for people to fill at home. Alongside konafa, katayef is one of the two desserts that define the month in Egypt.
