Awameh
Awameh is a dessert that dates back to the early medieval period and the 13th-century Abbasid Caliphate, where it is mentioned in several of the still existing cookery books of that time.
Awameh is Syrian yeasted dough that is fried and then sweetened with rosewater or sugar syrup. It can be infused with different flavors by adding spices to the batter like anise or cinnamon . You can also infuse the syrup by adding some cardamom pods or cinnamon sticks to it.
In the Levant, they are called awameh and in Egypt zalabya
It is usually eaten with a cup of unsweetened Arabic coffee, but you can also have it on its own or with a cup of tea.
Awameh dessert is a very famous Syrian pastry, and it is served specially in celebrating the feast of the Epiphany in January, also in the days of Lent and it is traditionally given to the poor during Ramadan.
Ingredients
▢ 2 cups flour
▢ 2 cups warm water
▢ 2 tsp instant yeast
▢ 2 tsp sugar
▢ 1 tbsp cornstarch
▢ oil For frying
For sugar syrup
▢ 1 cup sugar
▢ 1 cup water
▢ 1 tsp lemon juice
▢ 1 tsp rose water
Instructions
Mix flour, sugar and cornstarch with warm water and add yeast.
Cover the bowl with the loose soft dough and let it rest in a warm place for about one hour.
Mix the dough again to get rid of trapped air bubbles.
Take small portions with a teaspoon and, using another teaspoon, slide the dough to drop in hot frying oil forming small rounded shapes. (To know if the temperature of the oil is correct, add a teaspoon of the batter and carefully drop it in the oil. If it floats quickly, it means that the oil is too hot).
Let the Awameh balls fry until they’re golden in colour and float to the surface.
Strain in a colander then drop in cold sugar syrup for a few minutes to allow it to get absorbed.
Remove from syrup and serve.
Lara Khouli