A popular Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern dessert, buttery shredded phyllo wrapped into chopped walnuts, baked to perfection and doused in cinnamon scented syrup. These walnut Kataifi rolls are truly addictive !!
Like baklava, kataïfi is one of the most popular Greek desserts. It is also popular in Balkan countries and Middle Eastern regions as well.
Katifi is made with special pastry dough, also called kataïfi. It’s filled with nuts and rolled up like a nest and finished off with sugar syrup. Crispy kataïfi is perfect to serve as dessert or to be enjoyed with coffee.
What is Kataifi Pastry?
Kataifi is just like phyllo pastry only in a shredded form. The thin strands are made out of shredded phyllo pastry. It’s mostly used for making desserts but it is used in various other dishes as well.
Kataifi pastry is easily available in freezer or chiller section at supermarkets and at Middle Eastern stores. Most of the time it is chilled, sometimes it is frozen as well.
Working With Kataifi Pastry
Defrost the pastry in fridge overnight. When you will remove the pastry from packaging it will be compressed. Pull part the strands to allow some air to pass through the pastry and give it some volume.
Drizzle some butter over and toss the pastry. Gently separate the strands. The pastry can easily dry out so keep it covered with a damp cloth while you are preparing the rolls.
Kataifi Filling
Traditionally Kataifi is filled with chopped nuts like walnuts or pistachios or even almonds. I have used walnuts. In a food processor pulse the walnuts until they are chopped. Avoid overprocessing as walnuts will become finely chopped. The walnuts should be chunky so you can enjoy crunchy kataifi.
Assembling the Walnut Kataifi Rolls
Cut the Kataifi into 7 Inches lengths (approx) using scissors or a knife. Using your fingers, pull the strands apart slightly, keeping their length intact where possible. Place around 4 inches long Kataifi across the width to form an extra layer where the walnuts will be laid, and to prevent the nuts from falling through the gaps of the Kataifi strands.
Place one tablespoon of walnuts across the double layer of Kataifi and roll, tucking in the sides as you roll.
Brush a baking dish with butter and place all the prepared rolls in it. Using a brush put melted butter all over them.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 C for 40 minutes or until golden.
Pour the cold syrup over the rolls as soon as you take them out from the oven. This is very important, that’s why we prep the syrup ahead so its cooled when the pastry is ready. If the syrup and pastry is hot the result will be soggy rolls.
Watch How to Make Walnut Kataifi Rolls
Other Dessert Recipes to Try
Baklava
Basbousa
Gulab Jamuns
Jalebi
If you try these recipe, I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment below and give me your feedback. Feel free to tag your Walnut Kataifi Rolls creations on Instagram and tag @sugarspice.more . Let’s share the joy of good food together!
Walnut Kataifi
Ingredients
- 450 g Kataifi Pastry
- 250 g Walnuts
- 250 g Unsalted Melted Butter
Syrup
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Water
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
Instructions
- First prepare the syrup. Add all the ingredients for the syrup into a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved. Once its starts boiling, the syrup is ready. Leave the syrup aside to cool completely.
- In a food processor add walnuts and pulse untill they are roughly chopped. Make sure they are not powdered.
- Put kataifi in a bowl and gently pull it part to separate. Drizlle 3 tbsp of melted butter over and toss the pastry to coat butter over. Keep the pastry covered with damp cloth while you are are making your rolls
- Cut the Kataifi into 7 Inches lengths (approx) using scissors or a knife. Using your fingers, pull the strands apart slightly, keeping their length intact where possible. Place around 4 inches long Kataifi across the width to form an extra layer where the walnuts will be laid, and to prevent the nuts from falling through the gaps of the Kataifi strands.
- Place one tablespoon of walnuts across the double layer of Kataifi and roll, tucking in the sides as you roll.
- Brush a baking dish with butter and place all the prepared rolls in it. Using a brush put melted butter all over them.
- Bake in preheated oven at 160 ℃ for 40 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and pour the syrup all over the Kataifi rolls. Allow the Kataifi rolls to absorb all the syrup before serving.
