Join The National and Table Tales on a culinary journey around the Middle East to savour the quintessential dishes that embody the spirit of Ramadan. From table staples to family favourites, this series of recipes – one for each day of Ramadan – pays homage to the holy month and the home cook alike.
Qatayef is a strong contender on both iftar and suhoor tables. Typically stuffed with nuts, qashta (clotted cream) or cheese, it is a versatile dessert, as it can also work as a savoury appetiser. It is said that qatayef has its origins in the Fatimid Dynasty, and some books also linked it to the Abbasid Caliphate.
Qatayef it is a versatile dessert, but it can also work as a savoury appetiser
Hanan Sayed Worrell, of Tables Tales, says: “For some reason, we go all year without having these delicious stuffed pancakes. Then in Ramadan we can’t seem to have enough.
“Living in the Arab world, the qatayef dough is abundant at sweetmaker shops and grocery stores, so it is easy to buy them and prepare the filling at home. But there is satisfaction in mixing the batter to the right consistency, then pouring it on a hot – but not too hot – griddle, watching as the right amount of pores start forming on the surface, and then whisking it off the heat just in time, before it dries out. Unlike pancakes, qatayef are cooked on one side only, leaving the porous side ready to absorb the filling.”
Recipe contributor Nisreen Bajis says: “No Ramadan sweets menu is complete without these half-moon-shaped delights. Qatayef is an indulgent, sticky and quintessential dessert during the holy month, filled in this recipe with cinnamon-spiced walnuts and akkawi cheese.”
Nisreen Bajis's qatayef – stuffed pancakes
Makes 15 to 20
Ingredients for the batter:
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup semolina
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp rose water
- Oil for frying
Ingredients for the sugar syrup:
- 2 cup water
- 3 cups caster sugar
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
- 1½ tsp rose water
Ingredients for the walnut filling:
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp rose water
Ingredients for the cheese filling:
- 200-250g akkawi cheese, washed a few times and then soaked overnight in water, drained and roughly chopped
Method:
- Place all the batter ingredients in a blender, starting with the water. Blend for 3-4 minutes scraping the sides of the jug as you go. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes to rise.
- Heat a non-stick pan and pour a quarter of a cup of the batter in the middle. The batter will bubble and once it is no longer wet, you can remove from the pan. Place the qatayef on a tray and cover with a clean towel until ready to fill.
- To make the sugar syrup, place water and sugar in a small pot over medium to high heat until the sugar melts and bubbles. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for five minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and let it simmer for a further two to three minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir through the rose water. The syrup should be the consistency of honey. Set aside to cool.
- When ready to fill, fold the qatayef in the shape of a taco and place 2-3 teaspoons of the walnuts (rolled in the ingredients listed under walnut filling) and/or cheese inside, then close the qatayef by pressing down the edges.
- In a pan, heat at least a centimetre of oil. Place the filled qatayef in the pan and fry on each side until golden brown. Remove and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to remove the excess oil.
- Place the qatayef on your serving plate and drizzle with the now-cool sugar syrup. Serve immediately.
This dish has been brought to you by Nisreen Bajis and curated by international recipe hunter Hanan Sayed Worrell, author of Table Tales: The Global Nomad Cuisine of Abu Dhabi. The Table Tales concept celebrates the people and stories that give flavour to recipes of the Middle East.
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More desserts in the Ramadan recipe collection:
Ramadan recipe: kunafa with cream
Ramadan recipe: luqaimat – sweet dumplings
Ramadan recipe: aniseed cake with tahini glaze
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Company%20profile
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Results
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RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWest%20Asia%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Bahrain%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%201%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%202%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%20III%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDubai%20Sevens%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
