These little pancakes are a Ramadan staple. I don’t know why we only eat them during one month of the year, when they make the perfect little finger food. Don’t they just look like the cutest addition to an afternoon tea spread?

They’re traditionally filled with unsweetened whipped cream or clotted cream, dusted with pistachios and served with a sweet rose sugar syrup. I’ve added another option of chocolate truffle for these too. The ganache melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more, and paired with the cream filled asafeer, it’s just a perfect match.

Asafeer literally translates to ‘birds’. I’m not sure if that’s because these are so small (unlike their cousin Atayef), or because they’re half open and resemble little baby birds with open beaks. But anyway, that doesn’t matter because these are such an easy dessert to make and will leave anyone so impressed that you made them from scratch.

P.s. I might just have to start a movement that we start eating these all year round because they’re worth being acquainted with for more than just one month a year.

Notes

Ganache: This can easily be made vegan but using coconut milk (the canned kind) instead of the double cream, or a dairy free cream alternative. Or you can refer to my vegan ganache recipe here.

Cream: If you want this dairy free too, the Elmlea plant based double cream whips amazingly! Or you could even use a vegan cream cheese, or creme fraiche too.

Makes: approx 30 / Time: 1½ hours

Ingredients

Batter

170g / 1¼ cups Plain Flour
15g / 1 tbsp Unrefined Sugar
20g / 2 tbsp Corn Flour
1g / ½ tsp Yeast
2g / ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of Salt
300g / 1 ½ cups lukewarm Water

Chocolate Ganache

80g / ½ cup Dark Chocolate
45g / ¼ cup Double Cream

- Break the chocolate, pour over the cream, and melt in the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring in between, then leave to cool until semi-firm

Cream

200ml / 1 cup Double Cream

-Whip until you get a soft peak (don’t over whip)

Syrup

150g / ½ Cup Honey
2 tsp Rosewater/Orange Blossom Water
2 tsp Water

-Warm the ingredients in a small pot, making sure to stir. When it comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and transfer to a small jug for serving

Method

Mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cornflour
Add in the water, whisking briskly until smooth
Cover with a dry kitchen towel and leave for 30 mins
After 30 minutes, heat a pan, on a medium high heat and rub with a bit of oil with a kitchen towel
With a ladle, pour the batter into the pan, letting it even out into rounds of about
6-8cm in diameter (I cook about 3 at a time in my pan)
Let the batter cook on one side only, until it bubbles on the side facing up (this takes about 20-30 seconds
When cooked place on a dry dish towel- Make your fillings and syrup whilst they cool
When cooled fold them gently in half, pinching from one end until they’re half closed
Add your fillings, about 1 teaspoon per pancake
Sprinkle with pistachios & serve the cream Asafir with the syrup

Enjoy!