Kataifi is finely shredded fillo dough. It looks like fine golden threads, and when toasted it becomes the crisp, nutty crunch inside Dubai chocolate, kunafa and a range of Middle Eastern desserts.
How kataifi is used
Raw kataifi is soft and pale. It is toasted, usually with butter, until golden and brittle, and that toasted form is what gets folded into pistachio cream or layered with cheese and syrup in kunafa. The texture is the reason it exists: it holds its crunch even when surrounded by something soft.
Kataifi, kadayif, knafeh, kunafa
The same tradition under different transliterations. Kataifi is the common Greek spelling, kadayif the Turkish one. Knafeh or kunafa usually refers to the finished dessert rather than the dough itself.
What kataifi is in Dubai chocolate
Dubai chocolate is a chocolate shell filled with pistachio cream and toasted kataifi. The kataifi is the crunch. Without it you have pistachio spread in a chocolate bar, which is a different and much less interesting thing.
Where to buy kataifi
Raw kataifi is sold frozen in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean groceries and needs toasting before use. Moosh sells it pre-toasted and ready to use, in a 7.1 oz tub and a 1 lb bulk bag, so it goes straight into the bowl.
Related
What is pistachio cream? · What is kunafa? · What is Dubai chocolate filling? · The Original Dubai Chocolate Filling