Meshabek is an Egyptian sweet street food that translates to “tangled”, given the way those syrupy fritters look.  It is a deep fried batter soaked in infused simple syrup. Meshabek is made of simple basic ingredients, and you could easily make this treat in your kitchen. 

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What is Meshabek? 

Meshabek is a rounded and crunchy Egyptian sweet street food that translates to “tangled”, given the way it looks.  It is a deep fried batter soaked in infused simple syrup. Meshabek is made of simple basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast, cornstarch, and sugar.

Meshabek is a seasonal and festive treat in Egypt! It usually surfaces in the food market during Al–Mouled Al-Nabawy (the Birth of Prophet Mohammed).

Nation wide, Egyptian city of Damietta (known in Arabic as Domiat) is famous for making the best Meshabek, as well as other traditional treats such as Semsemeya and Malban.

The Story of Meshabek 

Meshabek’s origin isn’t crystal clear! Some believe that Meshabek hails from India, given its close similarity with Julabi, the treat associated with Indian festivals. According to this theory, this sweet street food found its way to Egypt via the Silk Road, which is  the ancient trade route that linked the Western world with the Middle East and Asia.

Others attribute this exotic sweet to the levant, where Meshabek is found under the name of Zalabya (aka Zlabya). However, the levantine rendition of Meshabek has semolina among its ingredients, while the Egyptian Meshabek strictly uses all purpose flour only, or with cornstarch, and it is closer to the Iraqi Zangula.

Whether it comes from India or the levant, Meshabek is a delicious simple treat and a nostalgic one that I am happy to recreate in my kitchen and share it with my kids who are born and bred in the US and never tried this delicacy in the Middle East.

How-To Make Meshabek

Counterintuitively, making Meshabek is easy enough to make in your own kitchen. Surprisingly, the batter is a simple one to make, yet its runny consistency is the core of its crunchy texture. Watch the video here.

It is probably a good idea to start by making the simple syrup first, as it has to cool down before dipping the hot fried Meshabek in it.

The world is your oyster when it comes to flavoring your syrup.  Feel free to infuse the syrup with only one or a combination of these: rose water, orange blossom, orange peel, cinnamon, whole cloves, and or cardamom.

To make the batter, sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt and add in the water gradually, until a smooth runny batter forms. The consistency of the batter should be runny, yet slightly thicker than water.

Cover the batter with a stretch tight/plastic film in a warm place for 1 hour until it rises.

After the batter rises, use the wire whisk to stir the batter and expel the air out and then transfer it to a batter dispenser. Actually an empty and clean condiment dispenser like ketchup or mustard will work so well.

Heat unflavored oil in a frying pan over medium heat, once the oil is hot, start dispensing the batter by squeezing the bottle and move your hand in a circular motion to pipe round fritters. Watch here👇

Flip each fritter after 30 seconds. It will take 2-3 minutes to turn into a yellowish color. When it is done, remove it with a heat resistant tong and let it rest on a kitchen absorbent paper.

When the fried Meshabek releases its excess oil, dip each fritter in the thick syrup for a few seconds, remove and transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving dish.

Serve it right away as it is best eaten the same day it is made. It usually becomes soggy on the second day, especially if you live in a humid place.

Check Out More Egyptian Street Food Sweets  

You might also like:

• Semsemeya  

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Disclaimer:Chez Nermine blog is an Amazon Associate. We earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Our commission doesn’t affect the  price of the product you purchase.

Meshabek (Egyptian Funnel Cake): المشبك المصري

EQUIPMENT 

• Deep mixing bowl 
• Wire whisk
• Condiment dispenser bottle
• Spatula 
• Sauce pan 

INGREDIENTS 

Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon rose water or orange blossom

For flavoring the syrup you could also use orange peel or spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and/or allspice.

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the simple syrup: Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and mix well on low heat until all sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup simmer for 8 minutes until it thickens.
2. Prepare the starter: In a deep bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Once incorporated, let it rest until it is foamy and frothy.
3. Make the Meshabek batter: Over a large deep bowl, sift together using a fine mesh sieve, the flour, cornflour, and salt. Make a well in the center and add gradually the yeast starter. Mix the batter using a wire whisk. The batter should thin and smooth. If necessary, add water at this point to reach the desired consistency. Cover the batter with stretch tight and keep it in a warm place to rise for one hour.  Once the batter rises, stir it with a wire whisk to expel the air. Using a funnel, transfer the batter to a batter dispenser.
4. Fry Meshabek: Add unflavored oil, like canola oil, to a frying pan and heat up over medium heat. Once hot, dispense the batter in the hot oil in circular motion to form a tangled round fritter. Flip it every 30 seconds, until it is plumb and yellowish. Remove the Meshabek with a slotted spoon and let it rest for a couple of minutes over absorbent paper, to drain the excess oil.
5. Dip in the syrup: Dip the Meshabek while it is still warm in the cold syrup for less than one minute and remove it with tongs and serve immediately.

NERMINE’S NOTES:

• Meshabek is best enjoyed on the same day it is made, as it could get soggy the second day.