Zalabia (Lebanese Sweet Fritters)
Description
I call them a glorious affair. Simply because you can have them for breakfast with labneh and a cup of tea or dust them with some icing sugar and serve them as a dessert. Any way you eat them, they are really great, though they may not be good for your waistline but will disappear from your table in no time. Not to be confused with the zalabia in Egypt (the spongy fried balls soaked in sugar syrup). The Lebanese version is totally different.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons whole anise seeds
- 1 tablespoon powdered milk
- ¾ or 1 cup lukewarm water
- 11/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 3 cups canola oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, dry yeast, sesame seeds, anise seeds, milk and oil.
- Add the lukewarm water. Mix and knead thoroughly with the palm of your hands. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for one hour or until the dough doubles in size.
- Divide the dough into equal-sized balls, roughly the size of an egg (about 22 balls)
- Roll each ball into a snack shape (about 15cm/6 inches long) with the palm of your hands.
- Using a rolling pin, lightly flatten each to 1.5 cm/ about ½ inch thick.
- Using your finger, pierce each piece of dough to create 3 holes per dough. Set aside for 25 minutes.
- Heat the oil to an adequate frying temperature and deep-fry the dough in batches to a golden color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Serve with Labneh, a taste to remember!
Notes
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