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awamat 77

Awamat (Lebanese doughnuts)

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Prep: 1 hour 45 minutes
Cook: 27 minutes
Servings 10
Course
Dessert
sugar syrup desserts
Cuisine
#Middle Eastern
Lebanese
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Description

These fried dough balls have a crispy, golden-brown exterior and a sweet, syrup-filled interior. This vegan, dairy-free, and egg-free awamat recipe is a real crowd-pleaser, both in taste and quantity. Although making them from scratch takes a bit of time and effort, the delicious final result makes it all worthwhile.

Ingredients
 

4 cups vegetable or sunflower oil

For the Awamat Dough

  • 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium potato boiled until fork-tender
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch cornflour
  • 2 cups lukewarm water

For the Sugar Syrup (Atter)

  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups water
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
  • For Frying
  • 4 cups vegetable oil or sunflower oil

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the sugar syrup (atter).
    Add the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the syrup simmer uncovered for 7 minutes. Stir in the orange blossom water, remove the saucepan from the heat, and set the syrup aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Boil and mash the potato.
    Place the potato in a pot and cover it with water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender. Drain the water and let the potato cool enough to handle. Peel it and mash thoroughly with a potato masher until completely smooth, with no lumps.
  • Prepare the awamat batter.
    Transfer the mashed potato to a large bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, cornstarch, and lukewarm water. Whisk everything together until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
  • Let the batter rise.
    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (cling film) and leave the batter to rise in a warm place for about 1½ hours, or until it has doubled in size.
  • In a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to the appropriate temperature for frying.
  • Scoop up a little batter, just enough to fill your hand. Gently squeeze your fist to push a small ball of batter through the space between your thumb and index finger, aiming for a size similar to a cherry. Watch the recipe video for a step-by-step demonstration of this technique.
    ball 2
  • Carefully drop the batter balls into the hot oil, frying them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the balls begin to firm up and turn pale yellow. Watch the recipe video to see exactly how they should look at this stage! Remove the awamat from the oil using a slotted spoon and repeat the process until all the batter has been fried.
  • Return the partially fried awamat to the hot oil in three batches. Fry them a second time until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color and become crispy. Double-frying is the secret to achieving that perfectly crunchy exterior.
  • Remove the awamat from the oil using a slotted spoon and immediately dip them into the sugar syrup. Let the dough balls soak for 2–3 minutes to absorb the syrup. Remove them from the syrup and transfer to a serving dish. Serve and enjoy these crispy, golden Lebanese doughnuts.
    awam

Video

Notes

If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine
Keyword awamat, awameh, zalabia
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