Zlabia

Ingredients

Batter

• 300 gplain flour
• 100 gcornflour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 1 tbspplain yogurt
• 1 tbspwhite vinegar
• ½ tspsalt
• a large pinch of saffron threads or ¼ tsp turmeric
• about 500 ml warm water

Syrup

• 600 gsugar
• 350 mlwater
• 2 tbsphoney
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsporange blossom water
• a strip of lemon peel

To fry

• 1 litresunflower oil

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, cornflour, yeast, salt and saffron together, then beat in the yogurt, vinegar and enough warm water to make a smooth batter the thickness of double cream, with no lumps.
2. Cover and ferment at warm room temperature for 2–3 hours, until the surface is domed with bubbles and the batter smells faintly sour. This sourness is the point of zlabia and cannot be faked.
3. Meanwhile boil the sugar, water, honey and lemon peel for 8 minutes until slightly syrupy, coating the back of a spoon but still running freely. Add the lemon juice and orange blossom water off the heat and leave to cool to lukewarm.
4. Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan to 170°C (350°F). Too hot and the coils brown before the inside sets, too cool and they drink oil.
5. Stir the batter down gently and pour it into a piping bag with a 5 mm plain nozzle, or a squeeze bottle.
6. Pipe directly into the oil in overlapping concentric circles about 8 cm wide, finishing with a zigzag across the middle so the coil holds together.
7. Fry 90 seconds a side, turning once with tongs, until deep amber and rigid; a properly fried zlabia rattles against the tongs.
8. Lift straight from the oil into the warm syrup, turn once, soak 1 minute only, then drain on a rack. It should stay crisp with a syrup-filled crackle inside. Eat the same day, at room temperature.

Technique

• Hot pastry into cool syrup is the rule. If both are hot the zlabia goes limp and sodden within minutes.
• The vinegar and yogurt sharpen the ferment and help the crust stay brittle; they are in every Boufarik recipe.
• Zlabia is sold by the kilo from great copper trays during Ramadan, and the best-known style comes from Boufarik in the Mitidja plain.

Substitutions

• No saffron? Turmeric gives the same amber colour, though not the perfume; many street makers use plain food colouring.
• Rose water can stand in for orange blossom water, but use half the quantity, it is far more assertive.

Variations

• Zlabia Boufarik, thick, honey-heavy and deep orange, the most famous version.
• Mchewek-style thin zlabia piped in fine lace, crisper and lighter.
• Zlabia with date syrup instead of honey, common in the Saharan south.

History

Boufarik on the Mitidja plain is famous for its version, sold in vast quantities from Ramadan stalls; the sweet is shared across the Middle East as zalabia.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zlabia?

Zlabia is a dessert from Algeria: coiled deep-fried batter soaked in honey syrup, sold by the kilo. Boufarik on the Mitidja plain is famous for its version, sold in vast quantities from Ramadan stalls; the sweet is shared across the Middle East as zalabia.

How long does Zlabia take to make?

Zlabia takes 25 min of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings (about 30 pieces). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Zlabia?

Yes, within limits. No saffron? Turmeric gives the same amber colour, though not the perfume; many street makers use plain food colouring. Rose water can stand in for orange blossom water, but use half the quantity, it is far more assertive.

What is the most important thing to get right in Zlabia?

Cover and ferment at warm room temperature for 2–3 hours, until the surface is domed with bubbles and the batter smells faintly sour. This sourness is the point of zlabia and cannot be faked.