Luqaimat (Sweet Dumplings)

Sweet Dumplings or Luqaimat (in Arabic), is a very famous dessert of the Arab world, originating from Saudi Arabia. It has gained so much respect in the Emirati culinary world that its a must have Ramadan dish and almost all the cultural festivals serve them.

They are not very appealing from the presentation point of view as these are simple, golden fried balls that are heavily covered in date syrup. Nothing fancy at all! But once you have a bite of it, you simply can’t resist having a whole bunch.

The secret  to perfect Luqaimat that makes this dish everyone’s favorite lies not only in frying them with the proper technique to have them crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside but also on the date syrup that is being used. It must be of high quality. Keep trying with smaller quantities of date syrup until you find the perfect one.

Everyone around the Arab world have their own versions of making these dumplings but as I live in the United Arab Emirates, I am going to teach you the traditional Emirati recipe. The recipes don’t vary much in the taste but mostly in the ingredients used and the techniques. Emirati traditional recipe is a simple one. Just some careful steps and you have a plate of sweet goodness.

Enough said, let’s move on to the recipe now.

Yield: 20 Luqaimat

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Cornflour: 1 tablespoon
Yeast: 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom powder: a pinch
Oil: 1 teaspoon and 2 cups separate for frying
Water: 3/4 cup, warm (You might require less depending on your flour)
Date syrup: 3 tablespoons or more (the more, the merrier)
*Some extra oil to dip the spoon in while making balls.

Method:

Mix flour, sugar, cornflour, cardamom powder, yeast and 1 teaspoon oil in a large bowl and mix all the ingredients well with hands. Don’t add all the water at once as you may require less depending on the flour you are using. Add water gradually and mix the batter with your hands or a wooden spoon.

I use my hands to mix the batter as the heat from my palms helps everything mix together well and I can feel the consistency as well. Here you are looking for a semi-thick consistency. Not too liquid that the batter is runny and not too thick that its a dough. It should be like a cake batter.

Keep the batter aside in a warm place for minimum an hour to rise. It should now be double the size. Now in a deep frying pan, add the remaining oil and heat it. When hot reduce to medium heat. You are supposed to cook these dumplings on medium heat to make sure they are cooked through. If the heat is too high, the outer crust will cook quickly and you will end up having raw insides.

To test how hot the oil is, take a teaspoon from the batter and carefully drop it in the oil. If it floats quickly, the oil is too hot.

Dip a spoon in separate oil and then take a heaped teaspoon from the batter. Push the batter off it in the oil using another spoon. This will help them get a round ball shape. If you didn’t get the perfect round shape, don’t worry. They aren’t supposed to be round and perfect in shape anyways (like fritters).

Move the dumplings around using a spoon so they cook evenly. When the dumplings are light brown in color, remove from oil, and place them on kitchen paper. Remove from the kitchen paper into a serving bowl and pour the date syrup on top. Serve hot!

Dumplings are best served on the same day.