Liqeemat

Liqeemat little balls of batter deep fried in oil and are a staple during Ramadan. This recipe makes a huge batch which is good for two days or as one batch to have for your house and more to share with your neighbors.

During Ramadan, this along with Harees, Madhrooba, and Oatmeal Soup is made in abundance and shared with family and neighbors.

Liqeemat

1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
pinch of flour

4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon cardamon powder
1 generous pinch of saffron
4 tablespoons sugar
2 to 2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons rose water
date syrup (locally called “dibs”)

In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the pinch of flour. Mix well with a small whisk and leave in a warm place to rise.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cardamon powder, saffron, and sugar. After about 30 minutes, add the yeast mixture, 2 cups of water, and the rose water. Using a large-head spoon mix the batter until there are no more lumps. If you need to add an additional 1/2 cup of water you can but do it a little at a time. Your batter will need to be very thick, almost elasticky (it will definitely be thicker than pancake batter).

Now you need to set this batter aside in a warm draft-free place (inside the oven or microwave is ideal) and let rise for at least 2 hours or until it has doubled.

Now for the fun part…

You will need a medium-large wok because you will fill it up half way with oil. Heat up the oil and then reduce the heat to low.

For me, because I hate the feeling of the batter, I use two dinner spoons to make the dumplings. Dip the spoons into a bowl of water (the water keeps the batter from sticking to the spoon and the batter will then easily slide into the oil).

Next, with one spoon scoop up some batter. With the other spoon, you will scrape off the batter into the oil. With this first dumpling, you will be checking the heat of the oil. If the oil is too hot, it will brown very quickly and the inside will not be cooked, so you will need to decrease your fire and then start adding more dumplings.

Put about 11 dumplings into the oil. You will need to constantly turn the dumplings with a big round spatula so that they will all be evenly browned.

Once the dumplings are evenly browned, remove from the oil and let drain on a large baking dish covered with paper towels.

Once all of your dumplings are cooked you can place about 18-24 pieces on a medium-sized bowl plate and drizzle with the date syrup.

There you have it…an absolute favorite for Ramadan.