Zoolbia & Bamieh
Zoolbia and bamieh are crisp, syrup-soaked fried sweets, a favourite during Ramadan. Zoolbia is a yoghurt-batter lattice, and bamieh is choux pastry piped into ridged fingers.
Ingredients
- For the syrup:
- 500g caster sugar
- 350ml water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp saffron threads, ground and steeped in 3 tbsp hot water
- 3 tbsp rosewater
- For the zoolbia:
- 200g plain flour
- 50g cornflour
- 100g full-fat plain yoghurt
- 150-200ml warm water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- For the bamieh:
- 250ml water
- 50g unsalted butter
- 150g plain flour
- 3 large eggs
- To fry:
- 1.5 litres sunflower oil
Method
-
For the syrup, boil the sugar and water for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice, saffron water and rosewater, simmer for 2 minutes and cool to room temperature.
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For the zoolbia batter, whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt, yoghurt and enough warm water to make a smooth, thick, pourable batter. Rest for 1 hour, then transfer to a piping bag or squeezy bottle with a small hole.
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For the bamieh, boil the water and butter, then tip in the flour and stir over a low heat for 2 minutes until it forms a smooth ball. Cool for 10 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Transfer to a piping bag with a large star nozzle.
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Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170°C. Squeeze the zoolbia batter in a lattice of overlapping spirals, about 6cm across, and fry for 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crisp.
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Pipe 5cm lengths of bamieh dough into the oil, cutting with scissors, and fry in batches for 4-5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and puffed.
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Drain briefly, then dip each hot piece in the cool syrup for 1-2 minutes. Drain on a rack and serve at room temperature.