Ingredients
Batter
- 250 gplain flour
- 50 gcornflour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 1 tspsugar
- ½ tspsalt
- 320 mlwarm water
Syrup
- 400 gsugar
- 250 mlwater
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 1 tbsporange-blossom or rose water
To fry and finish
- 1 litresunflower oil
- 2 tbsptoasted sesame seeds
- chopped pistachios (optional)
Directions
- Make the syrup first and cool it completely. Boil the sugar and water 8 minutes, add the lemon juice, boil 2 minutes more, then take off the heat and stir in the blossom water. Cold syrup and hot dough is the rule; the other way round and the balls go soggy.
- Whisk the flour, cornflour, yeast, sugar and salt, then whisk in the warm water to a thick smooth batter, looser than a bread dough and thicker than a pancake batter — it should fall from a spoon in a slow ribbon.
- Cover and leave 1 hour until visibly bubbly and risen.
- Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F). Slightly lower than usual, because these need time to cook through and puff without the outside darkening first.
- Dip a teaspoon in oil and drop rough balls of batter into the pan, or squeeze the batter through your fist and cut it off with an oiled spoon, which is how it is done in Amman.
- Fry 5–6 minutes, stirring gently and constantly so they turn themselves and colour evenly, until deep gold and crisp. They will float and puff as they cook.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain for a few seconds, then drop them straight into the cold syrup while they are still hot. Leave 1 minute, no more, then lift out with a slotted spoon.
- Pile up, scatter with sesame and pistachio, and eat the same day — awameh are crisp for a few hours and soft after that.
Technique
- Cold syrup, hot dough. This is the one rule of every Levantine syrup pastry and it is why they stay crisp.
- Do not leave them in the syrup. A minute is a coating; five minutes is a sponge.
- The cornflour is what makes the shell shatter rather than merely crunch.
Substitutions
- Half the water replaced with plain yoghurt gives a slightly tangier, softer ball.
- Honey thinned with a little water in place of sugar syrup.
Variations
- Lokma in Turkey, loukoumades in Greece, essentially the same fried dough under a different name.
- A version finished with cinnamon rather than blossom water, common in Palestine.
History
Fried dough balls in syrup, sold by the bag during Ramadan and at church festivals.
Frequently asked questions
What is Awameh?
Awameh is a dessert from Jordan: crisp fried dough balls rolled in syrup and sesame. Fried dough balls in syrup, sold by the bag during Ramadan and at church festivals.
How long does Awameh take to make?
Awameh takes 20 min plus 1 hr rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 balls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Awameh?
Yes, within limits. Half the water replaced with plain yoghurt gives a slightly tangier, softer ball. Honey thinned with a little water in place of sugar syrup.
What is the most important thing to get right in Awameh?
Do not leave them in the syrup. A minute is a coating; five minutes is a sponge.
