Kataifi
Kataïfi: shredded-pastry rolls filled with spiced walnuts and soaked in honey-lemon syrup
Ioannina's old pastry shops, by the lake and under the castle walls, are known for their syrup sweets, and kataifi rolls are the ones locals buy for Christmas and Easter visits. Fine threads of kataifi pastry are wrapped around a cinnamon-walnut filling, drenched in butter and baked crisp, then soaked in cool syrup so they stay crunchy on top and sticky beneath. Serve at room temperature with Greek coffee. Common mistake: pouring hot syrup on hot pastry, which turns it soggy — one of the two must be cool. Chef's tip: tease the pastry threads apart with your fingers before rolling; matted clumps bake hard.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the syrup
For the rolls
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Make the syrup first: boil 1 ⅛ lb granulated sugar, 1 ¾ cups water, 2 tbsp honey, the peel from 1 lemon and 1 cinnamon stick over a medium heat for 8 minutes. Add the lemon juice and leave to cool completely.
8 minStep 2: Mix 9 oz walnuts, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp ground cloves, then stir in 1 egg white so the filling just clumps.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Brush a 25 × 35 cm tin with butter. Unroll 16 oz kataifi pastry and gently pull the threads apart until fluffy.
Step 4: Take a strip about 6 cm wide and 20 cm long, put a tablespoon of filling at one end and roll it up firmly, tucking in the sides. Lay seam down in the tin, snugly side by side. Repeat to make about 16.
Step 5: Spoon 8 oz unsalted butter slowly over every roll so the threads are soaked through.
Step 6: Bake for 45–50 minutes, until deep golden and crisp all over; lift one to check the base is golden too.
50 minStep 7: As soon as the tray leaves the oven, ladle the cold syrup over the hot rolls. They will hiss. Cover with a clean towel and leave at least 3 hours, until the syrup is absorbed.
180 minStep 8: Serve at room temperature. They keep a week, covered, out of the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kataifi take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of granulated sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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