Luqaimat
The UAE's favourite sweet: saffron and cardamom yeasted dough fried into crisp, chewy little balls, drizzled with date syrup and sesame.
Method
Warm the milk in a small pan on low heat just until it feels warm to your finger (about 40 °C), then turn off the heat. Crumble in the saffron between your fingers and leave it for so the milk turns yellow. Do not let it boil: hot milk kills the yeast.
Add in this stepMilk 70 mlSaffron threads 1 pinch
low heatMix the flour, cornstarch, yeast, sugar, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Pour in the saffron milk and the lukewarm water and beat hard with your hand or a sturdy spatula for . You want a smooth, glossy, very thick batter, like an extra-thick pancake batter, that stretches in sticky strands when you lift the spatula.
Add in this stepAll-purpose flour 120 gCornstarch 15 gInstant dry yeast ¾ tspSugar 1½ tspGround cardamom ½ tspSalt 1 pinchLukewarm water (37–40 °C) 90 ml
Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for . It is ready when it has doubled and the surface is full of bubbles. Stir it once or twice to knock out the big bubbles.
Pour at least 5 cm of oil into a 18 cm pot and heat it on medium-high heat to 175 °C. No thermometer? Drop in a little batter: it should sizzle and float straight away; if it sits on the bottom, the oil is not hot enough.
Add in this stepNeutral oil, for frying 600 ml
medium-high heatDip two teaspoons in the oil, scoop a walnut-sized blob of batter with one and push it gently into the oil with the other (in the Gulf, cooks squeeze the batter out between thumb and forefinger of a closed fist). Fry in 2 batches, per batch, rolling the balls constantly with a slotted spoon so they turn evenly deep golden. Adjust to about medium heat to hold 170–175 °C. Drop the batter in close to the surface to avoid splashes and never leave the pot unattended.
medium heatLift them out, drain for a few seconds on a rack or paper towels, then pile them into a bowl while hot, drizzle with date syrup, sprinkle with sesame and toss. Eat straight away while they are crisp.
Add in this stepDate syrup (dibs) 3 tbspToasted sesame seeds 1 tsp
Cook's tip
If the batter is too runny the balls spread flat, so add flour 1 tablespoon at a time; if too stiff, add water a little at a time. Dark outside but raw inside means the oil is too hot. Honey or a simple sugar syrup can replace the date syrup.
Cooking it at camp
Deep-frying at a campsite carries a real risk of tipping and fire, so it is not recommended. Fry them at home, pack them in an airtight box, then warm them in a dry pan over low heat for 2–3 minutes, rolling them around, and add the syrup on site.