Fritters in Syrup (Zalabia)
Ingredients
Sugar Syrup
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon rose or orange blossom water
Batter
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup hot water (120 to 130 degrees F)
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- Oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Sugar Syrup: Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and
simmer until it is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 15 minutes.
- Add the rose
or orange blossom water and simmer a few seconds longer, then remove from the heat
and let come to room temperature. Cover while you make the fritters.
- Batter: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the half cup of hot water and
let stand until it froths, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Place the flour in a large bowl, mix
in the yeast liquid and the salt, then gradually stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups
water and beat vigorously on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth
and elastic, about 10 minutes.
- Cover with a dish towel and leave to rise in a warm
place for 1 hour, then beat the batter another 10 minutes, and let it rise again
for 30 minutes.
- Beat the batter again for 10 minutes, then let it rest a final time
for 30 minutes.
- Make the fritters in batches, using 2 skillets at once, if you prefer, to speed
up the frying: Fill a deep, nonstick skillet a little more than half full with oil
and heat to 375 degrees F. Drop little balls of batter by the tablespoon into the
oil; you may find it easiest if you dip the spoon in oil first, then fill it with
batter using another spoon so that the batter rolls off easily. Wipe the spoon with
a damp paper towel after making each ball. Fry the balls, turning them with a slotted
spoon to brown them all over, until crisp, golden and puffed, about 7 minutes. Do
not crowd the skillet; 6 at a time is a good number. The batter is light and produces
irregular, rather than perfectly round, shapes. If the oil is not hot enough to
begin with, the batter tends to flatten out.
- Lift the fritters out with a slotted
spoon, drain on paper towels and dip them in the cold syrup for a few seconds (if
you prefer, you may leave them longer to soak up syrup).
- Set them on a wire rack
with wax paper underneath to drain. They are at their best hot but are also good
cold.
16 to 18 servings (96 fritters)
Variation: Instead of dipping the fritters in a sugar syrup, pour a honey
syrup over them; make it by heating honey with about half its volume of water. You
can also sprinkle the fritters instead with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Each of 18 servings: 141 calories; 66 mg. sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams
fat; 0 saturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.70 gram fiber
Source: Los Angeles Times 11-27-02
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