Luqaimat recipe

A saffron and cardamom batter too loose to handle, dropped in hot oil into crisp hollow spheres and drowned in date syrup.

1 hour and 40 minutesmedium11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g cornstarch
• 7 g instant yeast
• 60 g plain yogurt
• 20 g sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 pinch saffron strands
• 250 ml warm water
• 750 ml frying oil
• 100 ml date syrup
• 1 pinch salt

How to make Luqaimat

1. Steep a pinch of saffron threads in 2 tbsp of the warm water for 10 minutes; this is what colours and perfumes the batter.
2. Mix 250 g of flour, 50 g of cornstarch, 7 g of instant yeast, 20 g of sugar, 1 tsp of ground cardamom and a pinch of salt.
3. Add 60 g of yogurt, the saffron water and the rest of the 250 ml of warm water, whisking to a smooth sticky batter. It must stay a thick pourable batter, not a dough you can roll into balls.
4. Cover and leave 45-60 minutes in a warm place until it has doubled and is full of bubbles.
5. Heat the oil to 180 °C. Squeeze the batter up through your fist and cut off walnut-sized blobs with a wet spoon, or use a piping bag, dropping them straight into the oil.
6. Fry in small batches for 3-4 minutes, moving them constantly so they turn into even golden spheres, crisp all over and hollow inside.
7. Drain on paper towels, then pour 100 ml of date syrup over them while still hot.
8. Serve immediately: they lose their crunch within the hour.

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