The holy month of Ramadan is well under way and Eid al Fitr is just around the corner, so to celebrate we’ve put together a recipe series highlighting the wealth and breadth of culinary traditions across the Middle East and North Africa. We’ll be featuring recipes by fabulous home cooks, chefs and cookbook writers from across the region, who have shared some of their favourite recipes for this special time of year for you to enjoy at home.
Today we’ve got a fabulous sweet treat for you courtesy of Muna Kenny at Munaty Cooking – Luqaimat! Wonderfully crunchy on the outside, delicately spiced with cardamom and saffron, and meltingly soft within, Luqaimat are drizzled with honey or date syrup to create a dessert to die for. Muna’s recipe even includes her secret hack to ensure that your Luqaimat have that perfect crunch. We do warn you, you won’t be able to stop after just one – Luqaimat are so good that they featured in A Thousand and One Nights!
Luqaimat | VE, V, DF | Serves 5
The word Luqaimat (لقيمات in Arabic) literally means ‘little bites’. They’re also known as Luqmat al Qadi in Jordan, which literally means ‘judge’s bites’, though the recipe differs from how they are made in the Gulf countries.
They’re an incredibly popular and famous dish that’s commonly served during the holy month of Ramadan all across the Middle East, including Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the Gulf countries. Some recipes for Luqaimat call for yogurt, and others include baking powder and milk. The Luqaimat eaten in the Gulf countries primarily use flour, yeast, saffron, and cardamom. This is the version I’ll be sharing with you today.
Luqaimat is said to have originated in Ancient Greece, where it was given to winners in the Olympic games. It was then adapted to the Luqaimat recipe we know today. This recipe version of Luqaimat can be traced back to the 13th Century during the Abbasid Caliphate where it was mentioned in many of the cookbooks of the time.
TIPS
- Who doesn’t want the most crunchy and delicious Luqaimat? I know I do! And for that, I give you a secret trick that is guaranteed to give you the most perfectly crisp Luqaimat every single time: including mashed potato in the batter! Yes, you read that right! We’ll only add 5 tablespoons of it, so don’t worry your Luqaimat won’t taste very ‘potato-y’ at all. But what will happen is that the mashed potato will help give it an extra crunchy texture that’s completely unbeatable!
- It’s important to check that your oil is at the right temperature. If the oil is too hot, they’ll only cook from the outside. But if it’s not hot enough the dumplings will absorb all the oil, and you won’t enjoy them as much.
- Aim for Luqaimat roughly 2 inches high and 2 inches wide for the perfect size.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons mashed potato (the secret of a lasting crunch)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon saffron
- 1 ¼ cup warm water
- Oil for deep frying (sunflower oil works well)
- Syrup to serve (choose from simple syrup, honey, date syrup or even maple syrup!)
METHOD
- Add ¼ cup warm water to saffron and cardamom, mix and set aside.
- Sift the flour with salt and set aside.
- In ¾ cup warm water, add sugar and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Add the mashed potato to the saffron and cardamom mixture and mix well.
- Add the mashed potato mixture to the flour and mix with your hand or a whisk. Gradually pour in the yeast mixture and keep on stirring, until the batter looks like cake batter.
- Leave the batter to double in size. This may take 40 minutes to an hour depending how hot or cold your kitchen is. After resting, the batter should have bubbles, and be somewhat bouncy.
- Whisk the batter for a few seconds. Heat oil. To test the temperature of the oil, take around a teaspoon from the batter, and carefully drop it in the oil. If it floats quickly, the oil is too hot.
- Scoop the batter with your fingers (using around ½ tablespoon of batter for each dumpling), using your thumb to push the batter off your fingers and into the oil. Alternatively dip a spoon in cold oil to prevent sticking, then scoop ½ tablespoon of batter for each dumpling and pour it in the hot oil.
- After 1 minute of frying, move the dumplings around using a wooden spoon or spatula, ensuring they will cook evenly.
- When the dumplings are light brown, remove them from oil, and place them on kitchen paper.
- Pour your favorite syrup on top to serve. The syrup should be at room temperature. You should serve these dumplings the day they are made. Enjoy!
Muna Kenny is the one-woman powerhouse behind Munaty Cooking, a food blog showcasing traditional dishes from across the Middle East side by side with modern flavours and Western classics. Based in Sharjah, Muna is not only the recipe developer but also the photographer, videographer and editor behind Munaty Cooking’s brilliant catalogue of recipes. Her flair for fabulous flavours has led to features in Huffpost, delish, Country Living, Tasty and more. Discover more of Muna’s work on her Instagram page or at Munaty Cooking!