A recipe is given in al-Baghdadi’s medieval cookery manual for these crisp little golden balls soaked in scented syrup or honey, bearing the same name, luqmat el qadi, which means “judge’s mouthfuls.” In Egypt they are known as zalabia, in Lebanon they are known as aweimat. The Greeks have a similar sweet called loukoumades. They are street food. Vendors deep-fry them and throw them into a syrup. During festivals they are sometimes colored bright yellow or red for joy and happiness and sold sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. For parties they are served piled in a pyramid on a platter, held together by a sticky syrup.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the Sugar Syrup
For the Batter
Preparation
Step 1
Make the syrup first. Put the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a pan and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the rose or orange-blossom water and simmer a few moments longer, then chill.
Step 2
For the batter, dissolve the yeast with the sugar in about 1/2 cup of the warm water and let stand 10–15 minutes, until it froths. Put the flour in a large bowl and mix in the salt and the yeast mixture, then stir in the remaining water gradually and beat vigorously for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour, then beat the batter once more and let it rise again.
Step 3
Make the fritters in batches. Pour little balls of batter by the teaspoon or tablespoon (they can be small or large) into 1 1/2 inches sizzling but not-too-hot oil, and fry until puffed up, crisp, and golden, turning them to brown them all over. You may find it easier if you dip the spoon in oil, so that the batter rolls off easily. Lower the heat a little, so that the fritters have time to get done inside before they are too brown. The batter is light and produces irregular, rather than perfectly round, shapes. If the oil is not hot enough to begin with, the batter tends to flatten out.
Step 4
Lift the fritters out with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and dip them in the cold syrup for a few seconds, or let them soak up the syrup for longer. They are at their best hot, but are also good cold.
Variations
Step 5
In North Africa, they pour the batter through a funnel in the shape of a coil—they call it a rose.
Step 6
Instead of sugar syrup, make a honey syrup by heating up honey with about half the volume of water.
Step 7
Instead of soaking in syrup, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon.
