Zalabia, which is also known as Luqmat Al Kadi, are Egyptian eggless and sweet donuts that are sprinkled with powdered sugar or drenched in simple syrup. It is a sweet street food treat that is fairly easy to make in your kitchen.
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Zalabia is an Egyptian sweet treat that is reminiscent of the good old days of my summer time in Alexandria, my Egyptian hometown.
Zalabia exists across the Middle East, yet under different names (such as Lukma or Awameh) and different recipes. However, Greece and Cyprus have an almost identical kin to Egyptian Zalabia under the name of Loukoumades.
The credit of this foolproof Zalabia recipe goes, hands down, to Mrs. Nadia Rizk (tante Nadia), my parents’ sweet neighbor back in Egypt.
How to make Zalabia
Zalabia is so easy to make and uses available and affordable pantry ingredients. Additionally, the batter takes no time to make and needs no stand mixer. Just a rubber spatula will do.
When I served Zalabia for the first time to my Diaspora kids, they suggested that I add some orange zest or vanilla to the batter to jazz up the flavor a bit. I never regretted listening to their advice, as this simple twist goes a long way in Zalabia.
Don’t fret about making a perfectly spheric Zalabia as the taste is what matters most. This said, I recommend that you watch the step-by-step video, which I created to see my easy trick to shape this elastic dough into semi-spheric donuts.
Now, let us hit the ground running and learn how to make Zalabia in four easy steps:
Step #1
Make the Batter
- In a mixing bowl, add the warm water and stir in the sugar and dry yeast. Mix well, cover the bowl and set aside for 5 minutes until it is frothy and foamy.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl that contains the yeast mixture and sift together the flour, salt, cornstarch, and powdered milk.
- With a spatula, combine well all the wet and dry ingredients until a smooth and lump free, elastic batter forms. Cover and let it rise for no more than an hour.
Step #2
Fry the Zalabia
- Heat the oil in a frying skillet until it becomes warm to touch. Transfer the risen batter to a ziplock bag, cut the tip of the ziplock bag with kitchen shears. To force the batter out of the ziplock tip, add pressure with the palm of your hands on the ziplock. Snip the dough balls with oiled kitchen shears so they all fall and fry in the hot oil. Keep stirring around the dough ball in the hot oil so they get evenly fried. Once they are golden brown, remove the tanned Zalabia balls with a slotted spoon and let them rest on kitchen absorbent paper, to drain the excess oil for 5 minutes.
Step #3
Garnish & Serve
- Although atypical, I find a spoonful of orange zest, or a tablespoon of orange blossom or rose water, can take the Zalabia flavor to the next level.
- Transfer the Zalabia to a serving dish, drizzle with simple syrup, honey, or sprinkle with sugar and serve while it is still hot.
- For more non traditional toppings, try drizzling on top of Zalabia melted white chocolate, milk chocolate and/or fresh fruits.
Success tips
- Don’t overheat the oil, keep it warm to touch so it doesn’t burn the Zalabia.
- Oil the kitchen shears before you use them to snip the donut balls.
Make-ahead
You can make the Zalabia batter one day ahead, transfer it to a ziplock, seal it and then keep it in the fridge until you are ready to fry it the second day.
Before frying the Zalabia, let the batter come to room temperature first, cut the tip of the ziplock with kitchen shears (watch video) and then force the dough donuts out into the warm oil.
Check out more Egyptian sweet fritters:
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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.
Zalabia (aka Luqmat Al-Kadi)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons powdered milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
For Frying
- 1 cup oil
For Garnish
You can choose one of the following
- 1 cup simple syrup
- Honey
- Powdered sugar
- Melted white chocolate
- Melted milk chocolate
DIRECTIONS
- Proof the yeast: In a mixing bowl, add the warm water and stir in the sugar and dry yeast. Mix well, cover the ball and set aside for 5 minutes until it is frothy and foamy.
- Sift the dry ingredients: Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl that contains the yeast mixture and sift together the flour, salt, cornstarch, and powdered milk.
- Assemble the batter: With a spatula, combine well all the wet and dry ingredients until a smooth and lump free, elastic batter forms. Cover and let it rise for no more than an hour.
- Fry Zalabia/Luqmet-AL-Kadi: Heat the oil, transfer the risen batter to a ziplock bag, cut the tip and add pressure with the palm of your hands to force out small dough balls, snip the elastic dough with oiled kitchen shears, forming dough balls of 0.5 inches long. Keep stirring around the dough ball in the hot oil so they get evenly fried. Don’t let the oil get too hot, lower the heat.
Remove the tanned balls with a slotted spoon and let them rest on the kitchen absorbent paper, to drain the excess oil for 5 minutes. - Garnish & serve: Transfer Luqmet AL Kadi to a serving dish, drizzle with simple syrup, honey, or sprinkle with sugar and serve while it is still hot. You can also drizzle melted chocolate.