Zalabia or Luqmat el Qadi
- 5 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon rose or orange-blossom water
- 1 package or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 3 1/3 cups unbleached white bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
- Make the syrup first.
- Put the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a pan and simmer for 1015 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.
- For the batter, dissolve the yeast with the sugar in about 1/2 cup of the warm water and let stand 1015 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In North Africa, they pour the batter through a funnel in the shape of a coilthey call it a rose.
- Instead of sugar syrup, make a honey syrup by heating up honey with about half the volume of water.
- Instead of soaking in syrup, sprinkle with confectioners sugar and cinnamon.
sugar, water, lemon, water, active dry yeast, sugar, water, unbleached white bread flour, salt, vegetable oil
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zalabia-or-luqmat-el-qadi-373616 (may not work)