This delectable dessert is a traditional Egyptian delight. Even when made savory, it still tastes good.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups oil for frying
Instructions
- Make a syrup by stirring the water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a saucepan over medium heat until thick; set aside to cool.
- Make a filling by combining the ricotta cheese and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.
- Make the dough by mixing together the flour and the yeast. Stir the water into the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking to remove any lumps, until the mixture reaches a pourable consistency; allow to rest 1 hour.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Ladle 2 to 3 ounces of batter at a time into the center of the skillet into a round shape. Each katayef shell is finished when the top is dry and the bottom is slightly browned.
- Fill each shell with an equal portion of the cheese mixture. Fold one end of the shell over the cheese mixture and seal into a semi-circle shape by pinching along the edges.
- Heat the frying oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Fry the katayef in the oil until crispy and lightly browned; immerse in the syrup to coat; serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 356 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 57 g |
| Cholesterol | 9 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 41 mg |
| Sugars | 25 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
The variation I find that works the best for me is just by adding a cup of “smeed” to the batter this is Semolina flour the “fine” one and also by adding 1/2 tsp of baking soda to help the batter puff up. The cheese filling should have some “syrian string cheese” or you can use “mozzarella” if you cant find the syrian one . To the syrup mixture add and additional cup of sugar or double the recommended amount in this recipe (note: the sugar should always be double the amount of water for the right thickness of the simple syrup and it should be made in advance and cooled because you will drop the hot kayef into the syrup after frying and draining) Also for a more authentic katayed there is an additional or alternative filling which is walnuts,sugar and cinnamon. Opt. If you can find black sesame seeds you can sprinkle a few onto the wet batter for a more authentic flavor of Katayef. I hope this helps for this Ramadan and “Sa7tain” 🙂
I’ve tried authentic katayef in the middle east, (usually for ramadan). Something was missing in this recipe. The cheese filling was much too watery. The syrup too watery and the dough didn’t turn out perfect either. The basics are there but it needs a few modifications.