Ingredients
Makes approx 20
For the batter:
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 & 1/4 cups fine semolina
- 1/2 teaspoon yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 & 1/2 cup warm water to
Simple Syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
Additional Ingredients:
- 500g Ashta (Middle Eastern curdled cream)
- Crushed pistachios
First the syrup:
- Combine the sugar, water & lemon juice in a small pot. Bring it up to a boil then simmer gently for approx. 10 minutes.turn off the heat & stir through rose water. Pour into a jug & cool completely before using. This will thicken slightly upon standing.
For the pancakes:
- Place the flour, semolina, Yeats, baking powder, sugar & warm water into a measuring jug, use a hand blender to blitz really well. Cover with cling wrap & allow to stand for 15 minutes.
- In a preheated non stick pan on low/medium heat, pour 2 tablespoons of batter. Wait until it forms bubbles and the bubbles completely dry up before removing.
- Place each pancake on a clean kitchen towel, facing each other (both bubble sides touching) & cover with a towel or airtight container until you’re ready to use them. Make sure to cover with a tea towel to ensure they don't dry out.
- To stuff, place one heaped tablespoon of ashta on one side of the pancake, fold & partially pinch one side of the pancake to close it, leaving the side with the ashta exposed. Dip ashta side into crushed pistachios & drizzle with sugar syrup.
Variation:
This recipe can be used to make fried atayif with either nut or cheese fillings:
Walnut filling:
- 1 & 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cheese Filling:
- 1 & 1/2 cups shredded Akkawi cheese, see note
To assemble:
- Make your Atayif as above, using 1/4 cup of batter. Stuff with 2 tablespoons of filling. Close into a moon shape and pinch the edges to enclose. Shallow fry in hot vegetable oil until golden on both sides. Drizzle with sugar syrup.
Notes:
- If you get a fair amount of bubbles that means that your batter is perfect, if not, then you will need to add more water to the mixture
- Akkawi is an Arabic cheese used in desserts, found at any Middle Eastern grocer. Mozzarella is a great substitute
