Today’s Zalabia recipe is basically easy Middle Eastern vegan donuts. Five simple ingredients is all you need: yeast, flour, corn starch, water and a pinch of sugar. Plus oil for frying. In the streets of Egypt, they sell Zalabia in paper cones; you typically get a dozen perfectly round donut holes soaked in syrup or sprinkled with lots of confectioners sugar. But when my mother made them at home, they took on all sorts of whimsical shapes which made for some fun conversations around whether you got a cloud-shaped donut verses a dinosaur-like donut or whatever. Today, I’m following mom’s recipe for free-form Zalabia vegan donuts.
These fried dough balls or vegan donuts are a popular Middle Eastern dessert; the name differs depending on where you find them. From Zalabia or awamat, meaning “floating dough,” to Luqmat el Qadi, which literally means judge’s morsels or mouthfuls–a vegan donut that is so addictive that if you serve it to a judge, he will surely rule in your favor. The syrup will sometimes include rosewater or orange blossom water. But here, I went for the same cinnamon simple syrup I used in this semolina cake. You can skip the syrup altogether, if you want, and simply roll the Zalabia donuts in lots of confectioners sugar.
Here is the recipe for today’s Middle Eastern Vegan Donuts or Zalabia (scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial)
Step-by-step tutorial for Middle Eastern Vegan Donuts or Zalabia
Stir the instant yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/4 cup lukewarm water; leave the mixture until it foams. In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, corn starch with the rest of the water, then add the yeast mixture. Stir everything together to combine. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm area for about 2 hours to rise. 3-4 times during the rising time, stir the dough with a wooden spoon to get rid of air bubbles. 5 from 1 review When the dough has risen, fill a small heavy saucepan about 1/3 of the way with canola oil. Heat on medium-high until the oil is hot and you can see small bubbles forming gently. The dough can be sticky and stretchy; using two oiled spoons, drop the dough by the spoonful into the hot oil (do this in small batches.) The dough will float immediately and the bottom side will turn golden brown.
Flip over on the other side. Remove quickly to a large tray lined with paper towels to drain (I usually line my tray with a paper bag topped with paper towels).
Prepare the syrup. In a small sauce pan or pot, combine the sugar, honey, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the syrup thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. While the syrup is hot, drop the donuts in it. Do this in batches and make sure the donuts are completely coated with the syrup. Transfer the Zalabia vegan donuts to a serving bowl or plate. If you have any syrup left, feel free to drizzle it on the donuts or set it aside for individuals to add as they please. Or soak only half of the donuts in the syrup, and roll the remaining donuts in lots of confectioners sugar. Enjoy!
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