Lebanese/Syrian Round Fritters

‘UWWAMAT

LEBANON | SYRIA

I used to visit Syria very regularly before the uprising and in each city I had one or more favorite food spots. One of those in Damascus was in Souk el-Tanabel (Souk of the Lazy People). I loved the souk itself for the displays of vegetables prepared by women in their homes during the night so that they could be fresh in the shops the following morning. But it was one sweets stall that drew me back to the souk every time I visited the city because the sweets maker had the most extraordinary technique for making ‘uwwamat. He stood a few feet away from his gigantic frying vat, next to a large tub in which he had the loose ‘uwwamat dough. He worked incredibly quickly, dipping his left hand, then a small spoon in water before grabbing a chunk of dough in his wet hand. He would squeeze a little ball of dough through his clenched fist and, with the spoon, he scooped the dough and flicked it into the hot oil. He never missed and the dough never stuck to the spoon. He was there morning and evening, making hundreds of these small round fritters, and I would stand and watch, mesmerized by the spectacle. Most other ‘uwwamat makers simply stood over their skillets, dropping the dough straight into it. I had never seen anyone flicking it from a distance the way he did. Not only did he have a masterful technique, but his fritters were also exquisite and always crisp as he seemed to sell them as soon as he made them—‘uwwamat are best eaten soon after they have been fried. He obviously knew he was the best because written in big letters at the front of his stall was a sign proclaiming him as Malak al-‘Uwwamat—“King of the Round Fritters”!

SERVES 4 TO 6

1¼ cups (150 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1¼ cups (300 g) yogurt

½ teaspoon baking soda

Twice the amount of Lebanese sugar syrup in Semolina Cake

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying, and to dip the spoon in

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the yogurt and baking soda and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 45 minutes.

2. Make the syrup as directed. Keep the syrup near the stove.

3. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) oil into a large deep skillet and heat over medium heat until very hot (if you drop a piece of bread in the oil, the oil should immediately bubble around it). Dip a dessert spoon in a little cold oil, fill it with batter, and drop this ball of batter into the hot oil. Drop in as many balls as will fit comfortably in the pan and fry them, stirring to brown them evenly, until golden all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then drop into the syrup. Turn them in the syrup a few times and transfer to a serving dish. Serve soon after frying for an optimal texture.

You can form round fritters in one of several ways:

1. Wet your hand and with the tips of your fingers pinch off bits of dough, adding them to the oil to fry and puff up to the size of an apricot.

2. Wet your hand, grab a handful of the soft dough, invert your clenched fist over the oil, and squeeze enough dough from between your thumb and index finger to have the same size ball, though this method is difficult and requires practice.

3. An easier method is to grab a handful of dough in the palm of your wet hand, then close your hand and squeeze the dough out from between your thumb and index finger so that you can scoop it with a wetted spoon to drop into the hot oil to have the same size round fritter.

4. Use a pastry bag with a large plain tip and pipe the fritters into the oil.